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The Historic Landscape Characterisation Project of the General Swords Area
By Lisa Courtney & Kieron Goucher
Margaret Gowen & Co Ltd
For Fingal County Council
And
The Heritage Council
10th May 2007
Acknowledgements i Executive Summary iii Pages Part I. Introduction and Context 1 Introduction 3 Project background 3 Previous Landscape and Characterisation Work 3 Rational for HLC 3 Reasoning for this project 4 Project Aim 5 Project Objectives 5 Broader Objectives 5 The Project Area 7
• Geology and soils 7 • The current landscape and topography 7 • Settlement history 9
Part II. Project Design and Methodology 21 Methodology 23 The HLC process 23 Consultation 23 Training 23 Sources 24 Creation of a Geographical Information System 25 Characterisation process of current landuse 26 Part III. The Historic Landscape Character Types 31
The Emerging Historic Landscape Character of Swords 33 Time slices 33 Relict Landuse 42 Predictive Modelling 46 An Overview of HLC Findings 47 The Coastal HLC type 48 The Water HLC type 49 The Communication HLC type 52 The Enclosure HLC type 55 The Industrial HLC type 59 The Recreation HLC type 61 The Designed Landscape HLC type 63 The Settlement HLC type 66 The Woodland HLC type 70 Future Uses of HLC 71 References 75 Appendices Appendix 1 – Database Design 79 Appendix 2 – List of Attributes 80 Appendix 3 – Sources 90 Appendix 4 – List of Placenames 92
Illustrations
Figures
Fig. 1 Study Area Location Map
Fig. 2 Digital Orthophotography (2005)
Fig. 3 Townland boundaries and Elevation Model
Fig. 4 Recorded archaeological and historic sites
Fig. 5 Current landuse broad character types
Fig. 6 Current landuse character types
Fig. 7 Relict Landuse
Fig. 8 Aspect model showing direction of slope
Fig. 9 Viewshed model showing visible area from the cropmarks at Balheary
Fig.10 Viewshed model showing visible areas from site at Oldtown
Appendices
Appendix 1 Database Design
Appendix 2 List of Attributes
Appendix 3 List of Sources
Appendix 4 List of Placename
Appendix 5 List of Figures
Fig. A1 Rocque (1760)
Fig. A2 Ordnance Survey 1st Edition Six Inch Mapping (1837-43)
Fig. A3 Ordnance Survey Six Inch Mapping (1935-38)
Fig. A4 Elevation Model and Surface Contours
Fig. A5 Current landuse broad character types at townland scale
Fig. A6 Relict landuse at townland scale
Fig. A7 Time slice – mid 20th century (1935-38)
Fig. A8 Time slice – mid 20th century (1935-38) combined with relict landuse
Fig. A9 Time Slice – mid 19th century (1837-43)
Fig. A10 Time Slice – mid 19th century (1837-43) combined with relict landuse
Fig. A11 Fingal Development Plan 2005-2011
Fig. A12 Landscape Character Areas
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the advice and assistance provided by Prof. Gabriel
Cooney, Ian Doyle, Tom Condit and Bernadette Marks and the staff at Fingal County Council
particularly, Gerry Clabby, Marjorie O’Shee, Fionnuala May, Hazel Craigie, Larry Ryan and Clare
McIntyre.
i
ii
Executive Summary
The historic landscape characterisation (HLC) of Swords town and surrounding hinterland is an
action of the Fingal Heritage Plan 2005-2010 and was carried out by Margaret Gowen & Co Ltd,
co-funded by Fingal County Council and the Heritage Council. The principal products are a series
of Geographical Information System (GIS) based data sets, mapping and a supporting report.
This exercise complements and links to a similar study carried out for the Donabate-Portraine
peninsula.
Objectives of the Study The aim of the HLC is to produce a distinctive and historic dimension of the present environment
for the town of Swords and its hinterland (urban and semi-rural landscape) using a Geographical
Information System (GIS) to define the historical elements within the present day landscape and
the human processes that have formed it.
The protection of the historic landscape requires not only designation but good management
supported by information and understanding. Creating this understanding is the purpose of the
HLC.
In achieving this aim the study has-
• Provided an integrated historic landscape planning tool
• Provided greater understanding and definition of the significance of the historic
character of the landscape and the historic processes that have formed the present
landscape.
• Created GIS data available to the public, private and community sectors, to act as a
mechanism to sustain the character of the landscape into the future.
On a broader level it has sought to-
• Establish an integrated mechanism to promote, enhance and manage the identified
unique and or sensitive heritage areas within the project area.
• Promote a sense of identity at community level.
• As a research tool, to provide a better understanding and awareness of our
environment and local distinctive characteristics and to provide a common place for
various experts and the general public to express their views and opinions, encouraging
integrated discussion and working.
iii
Methodology
The HLC process assesses all aspects of the landscape, not just 'special' areas or point data
associated with the protection of monuments and sites. It is concerned with the commonplace and
the locally distinctive in providing a framework for understanding the character and historical
development of the landscape. There are two stages in the characterisation process;
• the identification, description and mapping of the main historic influences which have
formed and define the present day landscape
• to provide tools to manage change within the landscape.
The results of the characterisation process led to the creation of 9 landuse broad types in which
there are 28 landscape character types (Figs 5 and 6). Within the report, these types were
assessed in terms of the historical processes from which they derive, the historical and
archaeological components that they contain, the characteristics that distinguish them from similar
types and the rarity of the type across the study area.
Outcome of the Process
Understanding landscape means understanding the underlying cultural processes and political,
social and economic influences, this understanding was generated through a time depth analysis
of the landscape character at different time periods.
For this project, four time slices were examined – current landuse (2000), mid 20th century (1935-
38), mid 19th century (1837-43) and relict landuse (RMP, PRS, topographical files, historic maps,
excavation literary sources and field work). The number of time slices was limited by the amount
of accurate historic mapping available for the study area. These time slices established the
following trends in landuse over the last 170 years.
Broad Type Mid 19th
Century Mid 20th Century
Current
Coastal 0.2% 0.2% 0.3%
Communication 1.8% 1.8% 3.7%
Enclosure 80.4% 83.9% 47.2%
Industrial 0.7% 1.0% 4.9%
Designed
Landscape
13.1% 5.5% 2.9%
Recreation 0.0% 0.0% 7.7%
Settlement 2.6% 5.4% 32.3%
Water 0.5% 0.5% 0.5%
Woodland 0.0% 0.0% 0.5%
Unclassified 0.7% 1.7% 0.0%
iv
These patterns of HLC types when read in conjunction with the current landuse mapping (Fig. 5
and 6) provide an analysis of their sensitivity, vulnerability and capacity for change, important
factors of spatial planning.
When combined with the relict mapping (Fig. 7) and heritage data (Fig. 4) this model can begin to
guide the appropriate location, scale and type of new development, limiting impact on the historic
environment by identifying key heritage constraints as well as identifying gaps in the
archaeological knowledge. This knowledge can lead to the promotion of designs which contribute
sensitively and positively to the local character, or indeed the development of a new and
innovative landscape where historic character is no longer a determining factor.
Findings and Future Uses of HLC This holistic approach to cultural heritage issues and the placing of a value on the historic
landscape in which we live and work can influence the quality and design of new communities
with that environment.
It is hoped that the HLC of Swords will provide a practical input into future landscape
management decisions at a local level, increasing the understanding and appreciation of the
historic landscape across the community.
For HLC to be successful it has to be a sustained and transparent process, comprehensive in its
application and updated regularly.
The products of this particular project have enabled:
• Provision for a forum of integrated discussion across different specialities and different
departments within Fingal County Council.
• These discussions have elevated the profile of landscape issues amongst the decision
makers and adjudicators, enabling a proactive approach to heritage manage.
• The HLC process to be integrated with other studies on a county, regional and national
scale if necessary.
• The use of available technology and information to create a historic landscape dataset
(GIS), a valuable resource base in terms of personnel, technology and knowledge
• A cost effective tool for future archaeological analysis
• The interactive data has provided a greater transparency of archaeological information to
create knowledge and understanding of the historic landscape and the processes which
have helped form it and can be displayed on the web as a source of information for the
general public.
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PART I: INTRODUCTION & CONTEXT
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction
Project Background
'I wonder is it possible to write a simple short statement, a vision of what we want for the Irish
landscape? If we can write that and accommodate within it all the social, economic, development,
protective and other needs everything else will flow from the vision' - Prof. Michael Ryan,
Landscape Conference, 1999.
This historic landscape characterisation (hereafter referred to as HLC) project of the town of
Swords and the surrounding hinterland was carried out by Margaret Gowen & Co Ltd, the study
was co-funded by Fingal County Council in partnership with the Heritage Council. This project is
an action of the Fingal Heritage Plan 2005-2010. The objective of the project is to promote better
understanding and management of the historic landscape resource, to facilitate the management
of continued change within it and to establish an integrated approach to its sustainable
management within Fingal County Council and the Heritage Council and with other organisations.
It is an aspiration of this project that the HLC ethos will become embedded into the planning
process on county by county basis at a national scale under the guidance of the European
Landscape Convention (2000), which promotes landscape as a primary aspect of the common
heritage that requires understanding and sustainable management. This convention has been
ratified in Ireland since March 2002 and HLC provides a mechanism of bringing large-scale
characterisation into heritage management and shifting our objectives from protecting individual,
separate sites (point data) to managing change in all places.
Previous Landscape and Characterisation Work The use of HLC is relatively new to Ireland. To date it has been primarily used for two reasons, to
provide an historic dimension to landscape character assessment reports and to consider specific
predefined historic and archaeological landscapes.
The Heritage Council advocates the use and is committed to promoting HLC in Ireland. Studies,
of note are the Pilot Landscape Character Assessment of County Clare (Heritage Council, 2000)
and the Archaeological Landscape Project (ALP) (Cooney, 2004). The former produced a HLC
component for the overall landscape assessment and the latter produced a GIS-based approach
to the study of archaeological landscapes on behalf of the Heritage Council. Recently other
studies have been carried out in Offaly and Cavan and the Heritage Council are currently involved
with a cross boarder study in Carlingford and Derry.
Rational for HLC HLC emerged in England in the early 1990's and developed rapidly on a county basis, a national
HLC programme is due for completion by the end of 2007.The benefits for producing a HLC study
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ have widely been reported upon in England. Generally is allows a proactive approach to be taken
for the management, planning and development with respect to the historic character of an area.
It has the potential to assist in the formulation and implementation of economic, agricultural,
sustainable tourism and community development and management strategies in rural and urban
environments.
The protection of the historic landscape requires not only designation but good management
supported by information and understanding. Creating this understanding is the purpose of the
HLC.
HLC considers the aspects of the environment and components of the landscape, both natural
and built that are products of human activity. This includes fields and their enclosing elements and
boundaries, communication systems, distribution of buildings, woodland etc. The modern
landscape is the result of processes of change and modification over the millennia, understanding
how these processes occur and how they are represented in today's landscape is critical in
providing a time-depth analysis to the cultural landscape and appreciating the Swords study area,
unique character, sensitivity, vulnerability and capacity for change and development.
Understanding the landscape means understanding the underlying cultural processes and
political, social, economic and cultural influences, this can be generated through a time depth
analysis of the character and time-slice mapping showing a reconstruction of the landscape
character at different time periods.
Reasoning for this project While the Heritage Council has supported and advised county councils on individual projects and
has carried out considerable work and research in the characterisation of the cultural and historic
landscape, the approach taken has not always been consistent and comprehensive. This current
project provides an opportunity to develop the method and practice of HLC in Ireland, having
regard to previous work, in order to demonstrate how HLC can inform a better understanding of
the historic processes that have formed the present landscape and to sustain the character of the
landscape for future generations of people to enjoy. There are several other reasons for
undertaking this process in the study area, these are;
• The need to understand archaeological sites in the Fingal region given their various
visibilities within the landscape and to understand all monument types in terms of their
wider setting.
• In an urban centre such as Swords a time depth analysis of the rate of change of the
character can be generated. The landscape character can be reconstructed at different
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
time periods by analysis of the various editions of the Ordnance Survey, this provides
an understanding as to the rate of change over the last 170 years.
• A review of Landscape Assessment in Ireland (Heritage Council, 2006) recognised the
importance of integrating archaeological approaches to landscape with landscape
assessment. This project will provide a historical depth to support and complement the
Landscape Character Assessment for Fingal.
Project Aim The aim of the HLC is to produce a distinctive and historic dimension of the present environment
for the town of Swords and its hinterland (urban and semi-rural landscape) using a Geographical
Information System (GIS) to define the historical elements within the present day landscape and
the human processes that have formed it.
The HLC analysis identifies distinct patterns of landscape character that have a broadly common
history and tangible heritage. The aim is to produce a concise summary of the historic
environment, supported by short descriptions that can be used by consultants and planners to
help assess capacity for change at a strategic scale and provide a framework for describing local
distinctiveness (Green & Kidd, 2006).
Project Objectives The objective of this project is to undertake an analysis of the historic character for the urban and
semi-rural environment of the greater Swords area. This area is subject to rapid change and
development and the project aims at informing future management and development of the
landscape and heritage resources within the area. The focus of the project is to recognise that the
present landscape is the result of changes and continuities from the past. The challenge is to
sustain the character of the landscape in the face of future changes. The immediate objectives of
this project are to-
• Provide an integrated historic landscape planning tool
• Provide greater understanding and definition of the significance of the historic character
of the landscape and the historic processes that have formed the present landscape.
• Create GIS data available to the public, private and community sectors, acting as a
mechanism to sustain the character of the landscape into the future.
Broader Objectives
• Establishment of integrated mechanisms to promote, enhance and manage the
identified unique and or sensitive heritage areas within the project area.
• Implementation of heritage schemes at a local level to promote a sense of identity at
community level.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
• As a research tool, to provide a better understanding and awareness of our
environment and local distinctive characteristics and to provide a common place for
various experts and the general public to express their views and opinions, encouraging
integrated discussion and working.
Project Phasing of the HLC process The HLC process assesses all aspects of the landscape,
not just 'special' areas or point data associated with the
protection of monuments and sites. It is concerned with the
commonplace and the locally distinctive in providing a
framework for understanding the character and historical
development of the landscape (Fairclough, 2004). There
are two stages in the characterisation process;
• the identification, description and mapping of the
main historic influences which have formed and
define the present day landscape
• the provision of tools to manage change within the
landscape.
The process commences with the systematic identification
(sources listed in Part II) and description of the historic
attributes of the contemporary urban and semi rural
landscape. This description forms the basis of Part III which
provides a narrative of the historical attributes that
contribute to the modern landscape of the Greater Swords
area. This narrative consists of information drawn from the
Record of Monuments and Places (RMP), the National
Museum of Ireland, historic mapping, aerial photography,
Record of Protected Structures (RPS), excavations, place
name evidence and other relevant historic sources. It
provides an up to date historic account of the study area to
accompany the HLC maps and database (GIS). It also
provides an accessible written format of basic available
archaeological information for the general public and non-
archaeologist.
(after Clark, Darlington, Fairclough,
2004)
Data gathering
Grouping of land parcels
into HLC types
Analysis of characterisation types
Evaluation
Reporting and archiving
Recommendations
Further applications
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Project
The Project Area The study area is located around Swords town and its immediate hinterland. It extends to the
Naul Road (R108) in the west, the M1 motorway in the east, the Naul Road which bounds the
airport to the south and forms a straight line in an east-west direction, cutting across the
townlands of Lissenhall Little, Belinstown, Balheary, Broadmeadow, Saucerstown and
Roganstown to the north. In total it occupies an area of 5388 acres (2180 hectares or 21.82 km).
There are 46 townlands within the study area (Fig. 1-3).
Geology and Soils The soils within the study area are mainly grey brown podzolics and gley soils. The underlying
geology comprises till of Irish Sea origin with limestone and shale. The bedrock geology for the
majority of the Swords area is dominated by argillaceous bioclastic limestone and shale while
calcareous shale and limestone conglomerate is located throughout the western extent of the
study area.
This geological base has influenced the landscape and development of Swords, the topography,
soil, hydrology and vegetation are a direct result of the rock types present. All these factors
influence the archaeology or relict landscape as they affect movement, settlement, food sources
and land drainage within the study area. They have also influenced the agriculture and settlement
pattern within the study area, characterising the present day landscape.
Landscape and topography (Fig. 3) Every area has its own unique character and identity, combining dramatic contrasts and subtle
transitions, rich in variety and providing a diversity of natural and built features and remains. The
town of Swords and its hinterland, is an area of contrasts, the historic core and street pattern is
integral to the large modern urban centre which is encircled by rapidly developing residential
schemes set within undulating agricultural land.
The area of Swords is the administrative centre for Fingal County Council and given its location, a
key and strategic area for development. The town has direct links to the national road network, is
located on the Dublin/ Belfast economic corridor and located immediately adjacent to Dublin
Airport, the gateway to the country. The landscape of Swords is currently experiencing rapid
change in response to the pressure to develop. The population explosion accompanied by
economic growth, prosperity and relative stability has led to an increase in demand for land for
housing and commercial development, changing the natural environment permanently. The very
real and immediate challenge for the general Swords area is to manage change and the rate of
change while protecting the essential historical character of the past and the natural landscape.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The study area is cut in an east-west direction by the Ward River Valley. The ecclesiastical
settlement of Swords was built on the banks of the Ward River and historically rivers have often
formed the focus for settlement, trade and transport. The River Valley is now an important
amenity area forming a green belt to the south of Brackenstown Road consisting of dense
woodland, open greenfields now used as playing fields and sheltered riverside walks. This green
corridor creates a rich and varied landscape affording good views from the western end of the
study area towards the north and east over the coast. The park provides habitat for a variety of
wildlife and has many features of historical and archaeological interest including Swords Castle.
The lands associated with Brackenstown House (RPS 364) and former designed gardens (RPS
363 and DU011-030) are located adjacent to the park. It is the intention of Fingal County Council
to extend the linear park to Knocksedan Bridge (RPS 367 and DU011-028) through Brackenstown
Estate (Fig. 4).
To the north, the low-lying Broadmeadow River forms the second river channel to cut the study
area in a roughly northwest-southeast direction. The river is tree lined in parts while traversing
agricultural open fields. In a field adjacent to the river and the N1 just north of Balheary Bridge
(DU011-081), a previously unknown archaeological complex consisting of two circular enclosures
(approx 21-25m diameter) and a possible field system was located on a high ridge, by aerial
photography (Fig. 2 and 9). The land to the north of the Broadmeadow is predominantly
agricultural in character consisting of arable and pasture fields lined with mature tree boundaries,
the site of a former estate, Balheary House, shown on Rocque’s map of 1760, is now occupied by
Emmaus, a retreat centre. The surrounding lands are still delimited by stone walls enhancing the
rural character of the area.
The land between these two rivers rises forming good views over the surrounding countryside.
Large residential estates line the Rathbeale Road and further development is anticipated for the
townlands of Oldtown and Mooretown, as a local area plan is currently being drafted. Further west
in Rathbeale and Saucerstown, while limited linear ribbon development has occurred along the
roadside edge, the land remains agricultural in nature with Rathbeale Hall (RPS 338/DU011-014)
forming one of the last partially intact demesne landscapes in the area. Development in the form
of a golf course, leisure complex and hotel encroaches upon the northwest corner of the study
area in Roganstown.
The land between the N1 and M1 motorway is developing largely as retail parks, commercial and
industrial centres interspersed with older housing estates and high density residential units now
being built. Isolated remnants of historical features remain behind gated entrances such as Lissen
Hall (RPS 342) while other archaeological features are preserved by record (a possible ringfort
(RPS 343/DU012-015) at Lissenhall Great or have been built over such as the earthwork (DU011-
036) at Seatown West. Development has also led to new discoveries such as a cremation burial,
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ kilns and two subcircular enclosures in the townland of Drinan in advance of the Holy Well
development. The former two sites were fully excavated and resolved prior to development while
the two enclosures are to be preserved in situ within a green area of the proposed development.
To the south of the Ward River and west of the N1 the majority of the area has been in filled by
modern housing estates responding to the demand for additional accommodation. Dublin Airport
is located at the southern end of the study and apart from a golf course in Forrest Little the lands
adjoining it are agricultural. Cropmarks were also revealed in the townlands of Fosterstown and
Forrest Little and may be an indication of previously unknown buried archaeological features (Fig.
2).
The Naul Road (R108) forms the western extent of the study area. The narrow, winding nature of
the road lends it self to the historic character of the area, with the walled demesne of
Brackenstown and associated features located on the east while a number of interesting and
protected structures are located on the western side of the road. At the northern end of the road,
the mature double tree lined boundary of Rathbeale Estate enhances the semi-rural character of
the area. The line of the road is shown on Rocque’s (1760) map. The Motte (DU011-024) at
Knocksedan Bridge (DU011-028) at the junction of the Naul and Brackenstown Road is the only
upstanding earthen monument left in the greater Swords area – a testimony to the intensive
agricultural regime and development of lands which have denuded many earthen features. It is
also a reminder of the non visible archaeological presence throughout the Fingal area, even large
burial sites and enclosures such as those found at Oldtown and Mount Gamble have no reference
in the field or documentary sources.
Two exclusive residential developments have sneaked in along the Naul Road – Knocksedan
Demesne and Roganstown –the former would appear to be inappropriately placed in
Brackenstown Demesne leading to the break up and parcelling of lands, any further development
or proposal for development would have to be carefully assessed if the delicate character of the
area is not going to deteriorate any further. The Naul Road forms the highest ridge in the study
area peaking at the 75m contour line and providing extensive views to the east (Fig. 3).
Settlement history (Fig. 3)
Settlement in prehistory
The earliest evidence for pre-historic activity near the study area has been identified in the Mesolithic
(7000BC–4000 B.C) along the shore of the Malahide Estuary where Larnian flints and shell middens
have been found (Stout and Stout, 1992), to the east of the study area. Neolithic (4000–2500 B.C)
settlement has been recorded at Feltrim Hill, located to the southeast of the study area during
excavations conducted in the middle of the 20th century (Eogan and Hartnett, 1964). A flint core (NMI
Ref. 1964:31) was recorded in Drinan townland, and also two flint fragments were found in Swords
10.05.07 9 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Glebe in disturbed soil near the foundations of a wall in the west side of the monastic graveyard (NMI
Ref. 1978:11-12). A fine grained, basic igneous rock was the raw material used for a polished stone
axe head found in Fostertown North (MNI Ref. 1959:13). In Knocksedan, local tradition records that
Neolithic burials were revealed from a mound (DU011-029), although this is not substantiated by
associated finds. Recent excavation in advance of development in the former grounds of Mount
Gamble House in the town of Swords identified an assemblage of artefacts which include thirty-
one flints, one chert and one quartz piece, the assemblage dates from the Neolithic or Early
Bronze Age representing small scale flint working (O’Donovan, 2005 Licence Ref: 02E0608).
There is no recorded evidence for prehistoric settlement at Swords, although a handful of
prehistoric objects recovered around the town indicate the activity of Bronze Age (c. 2400 to c.
500 B.C) settlers, these objects include two flat axe’s (NMI Ref. 1939:16; E92:335), the earliest
type of bronze axe, and a palstave (NMI Ref. 1939: 17), a type of middle Bronze Age axe.
Archaeological monitoring on the south side of Church Road has also yielded a shale stone axe
rough-out, which, while not found in its original context, corroborates some activity in the environs
of the town from the prehistoric period (O’Carroll, 2002). A socketed bronze spearhead was also
found in Swords townland (NMI Ref. 1998:48).
Activity dating to the Early Bronze Age is indicated by the presence of partially destroyed ring-
ditches/ring-barrows contained within a large enclosure (visible on aerial photographs) at Newpark,
near Swords (Stout and Stout, 1992). A ring-ditch (DU011-080) has been identified from an aerial
photograph, located in the townland of Holybanks, the ditch is 14m in diameter with a gap to the
northwest. A further ring-ditch site (DU011-047) was identified in Nevinstown West. Excavation in
Roganstown in advance of a golf-course and hotel leisure complex revealed a fulacht fiadh and a
shallow pit with one sherd of medieval pottery (Dehaene, 2002).
The Ordnance Survey Names Books make reference to a tumulus or cairn called Holy Stud
located in the northwest corner of Outlands townland:
‘in the road from Swords to Ashbourne there is a loaning into Old Town branches off. I was
informed there is the remains of a tumulus or cairn, which was recently destroyed six years since
in cutting down the road. Bones were found covered with rolled or beach stones. The remains of
Holystud is a bout 4ft high a segment of a circle in shape and when perfect must have been small’
(O’Donovan 1843, 167).
While the name Holystuds is marked on all of the OS map editions, no monument is recorded on the
site.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Excavations at Mount Gamble also revealed a multi-phased cemetery with the earliest phase of
burial dating to the Late Iron Age indicating the pre-Christian population of the area (O’Donovan,
2005).
Early Medieval Period 400–1000AD
The archaeological significance of Swords town (DU011-034) is well attested in both the
archaeological and historical record. The origin of the town is attributed to the establishment of the
church site founded by St Colmcille. The local folk tradition records that when St. Colmcille
established his church, he took possession of the pre-Christian well (DU 011-034013), and
blessed it. St. Colmcille's well was known as Sord Colmcille, from the Irish word sord meaning
‘pure’, it is the name given also to a pagan spring or well (Joyce, 1995). The well was one of the
principal sources of water supply in the town and is can be attributed to the modern day name of
Swords.
The association of the early foundation of Swords with St. Colmcille, who appointed St. Finan
Lobhar (the Leper) abbot, could suggest a sixth century date for the sites foundation (Gwynn and
Hadcock, 1988), however, there are no contemporary documentary sources to confirm this. Three
churches have been recorded at Swords, dedicated to St. Fintan, St. Brigid and St. Catherine. It
has been supposed that these churches were all located within the present Church of Ireland site
with its standing round tower (Dalton, 1839). Alild, Bishop of Swords and Lusk, died in AD 965
(ibid, 44), so clearly the monastery was located at this site by the 10th century at least. The round
tower, rising to 75 feet high, is the only surviving portion of the original monastic establishment,
the medieval church tower, 68 feet high, belongs to a structure which was erected not later than
the 14th century. The tower is surmounted by a cross, placed there about 100 years ago.
The principal focus of the Mount Gamble excavation centred on an Early Medieval cemetery
which covered an area measuring 15m east–west and 10m north–south. O’Donovan (2003)
concludes that the hillock at Mount Gamble was the tribal burial ground for a local population from
AD 549–1164. Two hundred and eighty three burials representing all ages and sexes were
excavated. Extended inhumation with the head to the west was the predominant burial rite
uncovered, however, the earliest burials recorded indicate that the pre-Christian local population
were burying their dead on the site prior to the introduction of the new ‘Christian’ burial rite. There
were no clear divisions distinguishing between the areas where men or women were buried,
however, the eastern quadrant of the site contained a greater proportion of infants than the
remainder of the site (O’Donovan 2005).
The supposed remains of Glasmore Abbey church, (DU011-019) and holy well (DU011-018), are
located in Mooretown. St. Cronan purportedly founded a church on the site before the mid 7th
10.05.07 11 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ century where he was eventually martyred. However, evidence suggests that this was not the
location of Glasmore Abbey, which, according to the Martyrology of Oengus, is situated to the
south of Swords and not to the northwest.
‘Glassmore is a church near Swords on the south (sic); whither
came the Northerners of Inver Domnann (Malahide) and slew
both Cronan and his fraternity
one night so that they let no one escape’. (Reeves, 1860).
O'Donovan, in the Ordnance Survey Name Books, recorded that the building known as Glasmore
Abbey was pointed out to him by a local man, seemingly the only verification for this location. This
was further compounded by its appearance on the Ordnance Survey maps as the location of the
Abbey. The Archaeological Survey identified it as a post-medieval building and extensive
monitoring and testing (99E0536) in the vicinity of the monument revealed no archaeological
deposits or features (Swan, 2000).
The topographical files in the National Museum of Ireland records one stray find for Mooretown
townland. The object, a stone mortar (NMI Reg. 1958:80), has been variously interpreted as a holy
water font possibly associated with Glasmore Abbey or a mortar from the Medieval or late medieval
period.
Adjacent to the abbey site, a holy well (DU011-018) is also dedicated to St. Cronan. Holy wells
are a Christian adaptation of a pre-Christian tradition of sacred springs, which, like their pagan
predecessors, were often visited at certain times of the year, such as saints’ or other holy days,
and often had the reputation for effecting cures. There is a growing acceptance among historians
that holy wells are often indicators of early ecclesiastical settlement. St. Cronan’s well is
described as a natural spring well in a hollow marked by a tree, it is no longer venerated and no
longer visible above ground. It was formerly a station well and local tradition thought of it as a
cure for sore eyes and chicken pox (Stout, RMP Files). There are several holy wells in the vicinity
of Swords, Forrest Road in Swords (DU011-037), Crowscastle (DU011-045) Drynam Road
(DU012-022) and Slips well (site of) to the south of Swords town (DU011-037) and at Lissenhall
Little (DU012-011).
Archaeological testing and geophysical survey has been carried out in Oldtown townland
following the discovery of human skeletal remains during the construction of a temporary
roadway. The site, which had been unknown, comprised an ecclesiastical complex and
associated field system. The ecclesiastical complex consists of three concentric enclosing
features one of which constitutes the burial ground of the site. A total of six artefacts were
recovered, two of which were found in association with burials and one from a ditch. The
artefacts, which are indicative of the latter half of the Early Medieval period, include a perforated
10.05.07 12 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ stone bead, a bone pin, a nail/possible pin, an iron blade, a piece of animal bone and a fragment
of decorated bone/antler comb. Combined with the consistent east-west alignment of the burials
and the artefact assemblage recovered, the evidence indicates an ecclesiastical site of
significance dating to the latter end of the Early Medieval period (Baker, 2003 Licence Ref
03E1080). Further geophysical survey has revealed that this site probably continues on the other
side of the Rathbeale Road (R125) into Mooretown townland.
The most significant component of Early Medieval secular settlement is the ringfort, the only
domestic monument surviving in significant numbers from any period in Irish history. These sites
consist of circular areas defined by banks and external ditches, and excavation often reveals
associated field systems as well as the remains of dwelling houses and outbuildings for extended
families. They are usually situated on gentle slopes in open grassland, with good views of the
surrounding area. Dating evidence from excavations place these sites in the period AD 500-1000.
The Annals of the Four Masters record that a fortress known as the High Rath once existed at
Swords (D’Alton, 1838) although the possible location of such a monument within the present
town has not been identified. A number of ringfort sites are located in the following townlands
adjacent to the study area Broadmeadow (DU011-079), Cloghran (DU011-046), Forrest Great
(DU011-043). In Newtown, a site (DU011-078) has been interpreted as a levelled ringfort with an
associated field system. The name of the adjacent townland of Rathbeal may also indicate the
former existence of early medieval settlement in the area. Enclosure sites and possible ringfort
sites are also recorded at Lissenhall Great (DU012-015 and DU012-012) and at Newtown
(DU011-017).
The Vikings at Swords
Swords first became a target of the Vikings, or Ostmen, from the close of the tenth century, and
according to the Annals of the Four Masters was attacked and burned by them in 1012 and again
in 1016. In 1014 the bodies of Brian Boru and his son, Murchad, were taken through Swords on
route for burial in Armagh. The monastery was also plundered several more times from 1020–
1166 during which time the village of Swords had become part of the Scandinavian kingdom of
Dublin. By 1035 the village had been conquered by the Vikings, under Sitric, King of Dublin, and
in retaliation for a raid conducted by the settlers, Ardbraccan was attacked and burned in that
year by the then King of Meath, Conor O’Melaghlin (Bradley, 1998).
Medieval–Late Medieval Swords
Swords castle at the northern end of the Main Street was constructed originally in the early 13th
century to serve as the archiepiscopal residence. It was designed as a defence against the Irish,
particularly the O’Byrne’s of Wicklow, who were in revolt in the later 13th century, and was
sufficiently extensive to shelter the whole population of the town and their chattels within the
circuit of its formidable walls. Manorial in character, it is still completely walled on all five sides. It
10.05.07 13 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ has a gatehouse, chapel, and a small mural tower on its northern side. It has several phases of
building and its stepped crenellations date to the 15th century (Leask, 1973).
Research and development led archaeological monitoring and excavation has been conducted in
Swords in recent years. In 1971 a fourteenth century tile pavement was uncovered in a chapel or
oratory adjacent to the castle gatehouse (Bradley 1998, 139). More recently, in 1992, monitoring
was undertaken of foundation trenches at ‘The Pound’ licensed premises on Bridge St, adjacent
to the castle. This led to the discovery of the moat or ditch that encircled the outer face of the
castle wall, it was dated to the medieval period by the recovery of pottery (Swan 1994, 33).
Further archaeological testing adjacent to the castle in 1994 and 1996 did not however reveal
further signs of the ditch or any evidence of medieval activity (Channing, 1995, 35; Gowen 1997,
38-39).
Elsewhere assessments at 60-68 Main Street, from the street toward the banks of the Ward River
(O’Flanaghan 1995, 35), New Road, adjacent to St. Columba’s Well (Swan 1996, 29-30) and at
the Old Vicarage (RPS No 362) (Kehoe 1997, 39) revealed nothing of archaeological significance.
However, during renovation of the vicarage building itself in 1997 the skeletal remains of up to
twelve individuals were uncovered. The remains are believed to be Christian burials pre-dating
the construction of the seventeenth century vicarage (Dunne 1998, 61).
Generally, little evidence of medieval activity has been found along the Main Street in Swords.
Monitoring of advance works in 1997 at a site defined by 49, 51, 53, 55 & 57 Main Street and 5 &
7 Malahide Road failed to yield any evidence other than possible periodic dumping onto the site in
the post-medieval period (Conway, 1997). Similarly, monitoring of a sewer along the length of
Main Street in 1998 (Walsh, 2000, 68), and at The Old Schoolhouse restaurant (RPS No 359)
(Halpin, 2000, 69) did not identify any deposits of archaeological significance. Monitoring of a
development at No 20 and testing at No 38 Main Street did not reveal any features of
archaeological significance (Bolger, 2002 and Mullins, 2003) likewise an assessment at Seatown
Villa, off North Street did not uncover any archaeological remains. Two sherds of medieval pottery
were recovered however at The Star Bar on Main Street/Chapel Lane (McMahon, 2000, 69).
Limited testing at No. 3 Main Street, a premises that adjoins the curtain wall of the castle did
uncover deposits up to a 1m deep that are medieval in date (Walsh, 2002, 188).
The most recent finds of note include the discovery of medieval burials in the flood-plain of the
Ward River in Windmill Lands townland in October 1999 (Brady & Kelleher 2000, 94) and urban
medieval activity on the south side of Church Road opposite the Early Christian monastic
settlement (O’Carroll 2000, 67–68; 2002, 120–122). Monitoring of topsoil stripping between April
1999 and April 2000 in the townlands of Miltonsfields and Barryspark yielded no features or finds
of archaeological significance (Purcell 2000).
10.05.07 14 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The majority of objects of the later period are centred on the monastic site and medieval church at
Swords Glebe and include fifty medieval church sherds (NMI Ref. 1974:10), glass beads, tanged
knives, a bone pin and a bronze /brass finger ring (NMI Ref. 1969:40-57).
The borough in Swords was one of the most enduring, established by the archbishops of Dublin.
An extent of the manor of Swords in 1326 noted that there were then 122 burgesses, and
references to burgesses and burgages in Archbishop Alen’s register throughout succeeding
centuries indicate that the borough continued to function into the sixteenth century (Bradley,
1998). Queen Elizabeth I, in 1578, also granted to Swords a new charter as parliamentary
borough, and the village continued to send representatives to parliament until the Act of Union in
1800 (Bradley, 1998).
The Civil Survey dating to 1654-56 records fifteen 'lots' or landholdings within Swords itself,
mostly ranging in size from 1 to 80 acres. Many appear to be on the periphery of the town but five
are specifically described as being bounded by the town and lands of Swords. These are as
follows:
• Bartholomew Russell (papist) 15 acres, arable. On the premise 18 tenements
with 'backsides' (i.e. back gardens), intermixed with the town and lands of
Swords. One stone house, slated, now out of repair.
• James Dillon (papist) one tenement in Swords
• Patrick Russell (papist) one tenement in Swords with backside
• FitzSymons of Grange, Baldoyle (papist) one acre with one slated hall, three
cabins with backsides in town of Swordes.
• Nicholas Taylor (papist) 160 acres, meadow 004, arable and pasture 156. On
the premises walls of old stone house, one chaffe house and barn, 15 chaff
houses and cabins valued at thirty pounds.
Street Pattern and Development of Swords
Throughout the medieval period the town of Swords consisted chiefly of one long wide street,
aligned along present Main Street, which, from medieval documentation, was previously known
as High Street (Bradley, 1998). It was overlooked from the west by the medieval church, which
was constructed on the same ridge of high ground as the Early Christian monastery of which the
most prominent surviving feature is a coursed limestone round tower (c. 26m (75 ft) high; basal
circumference 16.20m). Much of the medieval churches building materials were used in the
construction of the present edifice, St. Columbus Church of Ireland, in 1818, and only the
fifteenth-century west square belfry tower of the earlier structure now survive (Bradley, 1998).
There were at least two other medieval churches at Swords, one dedicated to St. Brigid and one
10.05.07 15 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ to St. Finian. St. Brigids was situated on the north side of the town not far from the gates of the
castle, and was in ruins by 1532. St. Finians in comparison was situated on the south side of the
town near the glebe house, and was still standing in 1532 (Bradley, 1998).
The developing street pattern in Swords also appears to have been influenced by the circular
alignment of the Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure (Simms & Fagan, 1992), the line of which
may be represented in the curving line of Brackenstown Road, Church Road and Rathbeale Road
(Bradley 1998). The Early Christian monastery was established on the prominent ridge of high
ground bounded on the east and south by a stream, known in medieval documents as Reynen
(the Ward River). These streets, and therefore the parish church in the sixteenth century, are
thought to have been situated outside the western extent of the town’s defences. The towns
defences are mentioned in 1578 following an issue of a mandate for the better establishment of
the corporation of Swords by Queen Elizabeth I (D’Alton, 1838), at which time Swords is
described as one of the walled towns of the county. Bradley (1998) suggests that the linear
alignment of the present properties on the east side of Main Street is an obvious line for a town
wall, while on the west side the Ward River, provided a natural defence. The extent of the
defences on the south side of the town not as clear.
The focus of the Main Street/ High Street is upon the gates of the archbishop’s castle. There is a
reference in a fourteenth century deed to a lane called Le Camerothe (the crooked road). It ran in
an east-west direction and may be the modern Well Road or Seatown Road. A weekly market,
located in Main Street was confirmed to the bishop in 1395 but a grant probably existed since late
12th century (Bradley, 1992, 139).The town prospered through out much of the medieval period
and was accounted as one of the walled towns on Dublin in 1578 (Bradley 1998, 139).
Post–Medieval Period
The post medieval period accounts for 37% of recorded monuments and is the dominant relict
landuse type (65.8%) within the study area. There are several reasons for this occurrence mainly
that land enclosure can be traced to the 17-19th centuries and no earlier, the presence of relict
demesne landscapes such as Brackenstown, the removal of visible earthen archaeological
features by intensive agricultural practices and the significant percentage of vernacular and
protected structures dating to the post medieval period. There are thirty seven protected
structures or cultural heritage features within the bounds of the study area. The western
hinterland is defined by a number of medium and large scale residences that were erected by
landlords through out the 17th and 18th centuries, these are shown on Rocque (1760) (Fig. A1).
The dwellings are located to the east and west of the Naul Road. From north to south they
consist of the following, Rathbeale Hall, an 18th century mansion occupies the site of an earlier
building associated in the 16th century with the Blackeney family and the Plunketts during the
1641 rebellion. This and the site of a dwelling are protected and recorded as (DU011-014 and
10.05.07 16 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ DU011-015 (RPS No 338)). Local tradition holds that James II was brought to the adjacent
townland of Rathbeal while on the way to the Battle of the Boyne (the site of possible fortifications
associated with this tradition (DU011-016 and RPS No 378)). The site consists of a series of
gullies running NE-SW across a field under tillage and pasture. Considerable quantities of cut
stone were exposed during ploughing.
Further south is the site of Brazil House (DU011-086) built by Sir Richard Bolton, Lord Chancellor
of Ireland in the reign of Charles I c. 1632-40. Brackenstown House is a protected structure (RPS
No 364) while the pond and cemetery associated with the house are also protected under
National Monuments legislation (DU011-030 (RPS No 363) and DU011-032 (RPS 375)). A
dwelling is also recorded in the townland of Forrest Great (DU011-044) as belonging to Lord
Ranelagh, today the foundations of the structure lie to the rear of a large farmhouse.
The town of Swords, contains a number of protected structures including the Swords Castle (RPS
No 351), Court House (RPS No 350), Carnegie Library (RPS No 346), the Old Borough School
(RPS No 357), Sexton’s House (RPS No 361), Old Vicarage (RPS No 362), St. Columba’s
Church (RPS No 360) and St. Columcille’s Church (RPS No 356), the old School House
Restaurant (RPS No 359), the National Irish Bank (RPS No 372) the Parochial House (RPS No
358, the Mill Bridge (RPS No 352), Accord (RPS No 353) and the Swords Youth and Resource
Centre (RPS No 354). These structures define and provide character to the town and streetscape
of Swords.
A number of protected bridges are recorded in the study area as the following, Scotchstone
bridge on Balheary Road (RPS No 345), Balheary bridge (RPS No 340), Lissenhall bridge (RPS
No 341 and DU011-081) and Knocksedan bridge (RPS No 367 and DU011-028). Further
protected structures are located off Balheary Road, Newtown House (RPS No 339), the Church of
the Immaculate Conception (RPS No 374) while a thatched vernacular cottage (RPS No 344) is
located on the Rathbeale Road.
A windmill site, DU011-033, is located on Brackenstown Road in Windmill Lands townlands. On
Rocque’s map (Fig. A1) of 1760 a windmill, referred to as Swords Windmill, is depicted on the
site. By the time of the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1837-43 (Fig. A2) only the stump of
the windmill remained and there is no record of the windmill on the 1906 or later Ordnance Survey
maps (Fig. A3). A number of windmills are illustrated on Rocque’s map in the vicinity of Swords
such as at Balheary and outside the study area at Feltrim. A recent excavation on Mount Gamble
hill in Swords town uncovered the foundation trenches of a wooden post built early post-medieval
Windmill (AD 1400-1600) (O’Donovan, 2005).
10.05.07 17 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cobbes Hill, the hillock on which Mount Gamble House stood, receives its name from the Cobbes
family, an important family who were associated with nearby Donabate. Doctor Cobbe, later
Archbishop of Dublin, was by the mid-eighteenth century in possession of the townlands of
Lanestown, Haggardstown, Newbridge Demesne, Donabate, Corballis, Baltra (now part of
Corballis) and Kilcreagh (Bates 2001).
The following chart is a breakdown by time period of the recorded archaeological sites in the Swords study area.
Summary of RMP Sites by Period
Early Medieval23.9%
Medieval19.6%
No file8.7%
Post Medieval37.0%
Prehistoric4.3%
Unclassified6.5%
10.05.07 18 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summary of RMP Sites by Class Description
111
24
11
36
13
11
41
2
1111
22
12
11
0 2 4 6 8
Abbey
Architectural fragment
Bridge
Building
Burial
Burial ground
Castle
Church
Cross
Cross-slab
Earthw ork
Ecclesiastical enclosure
Enclosure
Fish-pond
Font
Graveslab
Graveyard
Holy w ell
House - 16th/17th century
Mill - unclassif ied
Motte and bailey
Non-monument
Ring-ditch
Round tow er
Sheela-na-gig
Windmill
10.05.07 19 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
10.05.07 20 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
PART II: PROJECT DESIGN &
METHODOLOGY
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Methodology
The HLC Process
The project design is essentially a structured data gathering and mapping exercise of the
dominant historic influences which define the present day landscape. Consultation played a key
role in how the project was approached and the development of strategies to manage the
landscape.
Consultation A range of statutory authorities and bodies, local organisations, interest groups, heritage
professionals were consulted during the course of this study. Consultations took a variety of forms
including meetings, site visits, presentations followed by discussion, letters, emails and phone
calls.
The aim of these consultations was to gain additional information on the historic landscape and
archaeological heritage of the study area and to seek confirmation as to the suitability and
sustainability of the long term usages for the HLC project for Fingal County Council.
The following organisations and individuals were consulted for information, and advice.
Organisations Individuals Fingal County Council Gerry Clabby, Heritage Officer Fingal County Council Fionnuala May, Conservation Officer Fingal County Council Marjorie O’Shee, Senior Executive Planner Fingal County Council Hazel Craig, Senior Executive Planner Fingal County Council Larry Ryan, Chief Technician, Planning
Department Fingal County Council Dominic Byrne, Systems Analyst, IT
Department Fingal County Council Claire McIntyre, GIS Support Officer, IT
Department The Heritage Council Prof. Gabriel Cooney The Heritage Council Ian Doyle, Archaeological Officer The Heritage Council Alison Harvey Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Tom Condit, National Monuments Section, Heritage and Planning Officer
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Karl Brady, Archaeological Underwater Unit
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Willie Cumming, Architectural Inventory of Ireland
Donabate Historical Society Peader Bates Swords Historical Society Bernadette Marks English Heritage Graham Fairclough National Museum of Ireland Duty Officer
Training
Attendance took place at the Cross Border Stakeholder Workshop held in Carlingford which
provided an overview of HLC in Europe and Ireland as well as an introduction to the Carlingford
10.05.07 23 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ and Derry (Historic Walled Towns): Emerging Cross-Border Historic Landscape and Seascape
Characterisation Study. This workshop provided the opportunity to meet, discuss and exchange
ideas with other individuals and experts concerned with characterisation. Personnel involved with
the generation of GIS data have also undergone relevant software training.
Sources The relatively small scale nature of the project, compared to the county scale embarked on by the
Heritage Council for Clare or surveys completed by English Heritage allowed a more detailed
approach to be taken and a wider range of source material to contribute to the analysis of
character types. Field inspection also took place to assess current landuse use and to consider
additional influences that were not readily apparent from the sources list below:
Data Sources Details Existing Landuse Information Study area outline Predefined study area limits
Current edition (2000) (1:1000 & 1:2500) Ordnance Survey mapping
O.S. Discovery Series mapping (1:50,000)
2005 (20cm resolution) Digital Aerial Photography
1995 (1m resolution black and white O.S.) (not useful)
Digital Elevation Model Height information derived from contours Soils Mapping GSI Ireland Geology Mapping GSI Ireland Land division (sourced from OS Mapping)
Townland boundaries Field boundaries
Pre-existing GIS mapping layers Development Plan 2005-2011 Local Area Plan mapping Point data listed as Rathingle, Crowscastle,
Nevinstown Planning application mapping APASS data available since 1992 Google Earth Visual inspection to supplement digital aerial
photography & OS mapping Relict Landuse Information Topographical Files National Museum of Ireland RMP for Dublin Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Duchas RPS data Fingal County Council Place names data Place names, field names and street names O.S mapping 1st edition 6 inch scale (1837-1843)
1935-1938 digital six inch raster Historical Mapping Down Survey - 1654
Rocque - 1760 Taylor - 1816
Details of previous excavations and assessments
Excavations database (www.excavations.ie)
*other sources are listed in the reference section of the report
10.05.07 24 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Creation of a Geographic Information System HLC mapping and data analysis is managed through a Geographical Information System (GIS).
The information is structured by the identification and grouping of archaeological, historic and
other environmental attributes attached to land parcels (polygons). This method unlike
conventional landscape assessment allows the creation of many different classifications of
historic landscape types, each of which are distinct and have a recognisable common character.
The distribution of landscape types can be mapped using GIS, supported by written descriptions
of the landscape types and historical processes that they represent. This HLC forms a permanent
and renewable database that can be utilised to provide information for a variety of planning,
conservation and management-led initiatives and strategies.
The HLC for the study area was undertaken using ESRI ArcView GIS, enabling the production of
a high quality presentation of map information linked to database tables. The information provided
by the GIS package has a dynamic output and can be updated and refined when necessary.
The database exists within the GIS. The data attributes attaching to the HLC polygons are stored
in a Microsoft Access database file as part of an ArcView Geodatabase file system. The main
table in the database contains all the attributes attached to the HLC polygons. This table contains
a number of fields which can be analysed and combined together for further analysis (Appendix 1
& 2). Appendix 1 contains a description of each of the database fields.
10.05.07 25 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Characterisation process of current landuse Modern Ordnance Survey maps (2000) were overlaid with orthophotography dating to 2005 to aid
interpretation and verify current land use. The characterisation exercise of the Swords study area
was carried out at a map scale of 1:2,500 for rural areas and 1:000 for urban areas. Individual
landuse parcels were digitised using this combined data set.
Orthophotography OSi Mapping
+
Combined data Characterisation
>
These land parcels were digitised to follow the line work from the OS map layers, this ensured
that the data and defined land parcels would relate directly to data previously established and
currently used by Fingal County Council, for example the Fingal Development Plan 2005-2011.
This data set formed the basis for mapping the present day characterisation process and 9
general categories/attributes (Fig. 5) resulting in 28 current landuse character types (Fig. 6) were
generated. The resultant categories were later verified in the field.
Categorisation was achieved by systematically dividing, the Swords HLC area, into areas sharing
similar attributes. Classification of these attributes was based on present landuse which was
influenced by topography, hydrology, geology, size and shape of the enclosures as well as
boundary type, morphology, place name and archaeological evidence. This resulted in the
characterisation of 9 broad current landuse broad character types: (Fig. 5)
• Communication • Settlement • Enclosure • Water • Industrial • Coastal • Designed Landscape • Woodland • Recreation
10.05.07 26 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Breakdown of Current Landuse Character Broad Typesby Area
11.2
10.8
705.1
166.9
64
106.8
1028.8
81.1
5.7
0 500 1000 1500
Bro
ad T
ype
Total Area (ha)
Coastal
Communication
Enclosure
Industrial
Designed landscape
Recreation
Settlement
Water
Woodland
The two dominant categories enclosed land and settlement account for 1028.8ha and 705.1ha
respectively. The increased provision for road infrastructure is reflected in the communication
category (81.1ha), coupled with the growth of industrial facilities along side the road networks
(106.8ha). Recreation forms 166.9ha of the study area, while designed landscape (64ha)
woodland (11.2ha) and water (10.8) only contribute marginally in terms of land cover, they do
contribute significantly in defining the character of the area.
Each broad character type consists of a number of individual current landuse character types.
These broad categories were subdivided on the basis of more specific landuses, for example
communications involves roads and ESB sub stations while the recreational broad type involves
playing fields, amenity land, golf courses and carparks. The amalgamation of the results from the
individual land parcelling system creates a larger zone which identifies the broader pattern of
historical processes and landuse, and is visually more readable on maps.
While there are 28 landuse character types within the study area, the number encountered will
vary given the landscapes encountered and the project objectives. However as there is a
common core this allows the transference of data from one area to another and if necessary, for
various study areas to be joined together at a later stage. This ensures that this project can be
linked to a larger study area, county, regional or even national study if required. Appendix 2
provides a description of the broad and subtype categories while the following table, lists the 9
categories and the 28 current landuse character types.
10.05.07 27 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
CODE SUB TYPE CATEGORY/NAME BROAD
CATEGORY RD Road Communication ESB Electricity Supply Board Communication ESEL Enclosure, straight edge large > 16ha Enclosure ESEM Enclosure, straight edge medium 4 - 16ha Enclosure ESES Enclosure, straight edge small < 4ha Enclosure EWEL Enclosure, wavy edge large > 16ha Enclosure EWEM Enclosure, wavy edge medium 4 -16ha Enclosure EWES Enclosure, wavy edge small < 4ha Enclosure EMG Enclosure, market gardening Enclosure SCRUB Waste land / scrub Enclosure IND Light Industry Industrial
PARK Parkland / Demesne Designed Landscape
WDP Wooded Parkland Designed Landscape
CAR Carpark Recreation GC Golf course Recreation PF Playing fields and amenity land Recreation HS Historic settlement Settlement MIX Mixed use residential Settlement NS Nucleated settlement Settlement SC Settlement, cemetery Settlement SM Settlement, municipal Settlement SCH Settlement, school Settlement SCOM Settlement commercial Settlement SRM Settlement, residential, modern Settlement RIV River Water INTR Intertidal Water MARSH Marsh / Wetland Coastal RG Rough ground Coastal WD Woodland, deciduous Woodland
When defining the 28 landuse types, various methodologies used in England and Ireland were
reviewed and modified to produce the record required for the Swords study area. In contrast to
the system used so far in the UK and Ireland, the landuse types were assigned an abbreviated
category name rather than a system of letter and numbers. The reasoning for this is that the
attribute is easily recognisable and doesn’t require constant cross referencing to a legend or key
(Fig. 6).
For this project it was decided to establish a land parcelling system based on modern land use
and not just to rely on the established townlands divisions. This was carried out after reviewing
the size and extent of townlands within the study area and finding that there are 45 medium to
small sized townlands, the townland divisions did not reflect how the land was currently being
used. However, as the townlands are a unique and recognised central aspect to land division in
10.05.07 28 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ireland, the current landuse broad character types and relict landuse were mapped on a townland
basis to compare the results of the two different methodologies (Appendix 5, Figs. A5 and A6).
The average size of a townland is 1.3km2 in Ireland. The average townland size within the study
area is .68km2, roughly half the national average size. The mapping produced for the project, is
therefore a more detailed analysis of character types due to the small size of the townlands
compared with the study area of a similar size in the Donabate-Portraine peninsula.
The land parcelling system proved to be not as valuable in areas that had experienced recent
rapid growth and change due to modern planning decisions. This had the effect of introducing
local distortions in the natural development of the landuse character that have no historical
reference. For example, a large area that has been recently zoned for industrial use does not
represent a landuse that has developed over time.
10.05.07 29 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
10.05.07 30 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
PART III: THE HISTORIC LANDSCAPE
CHARACTER TYPES
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part III THE EMERGING HISOTRIC LANDSCAPE CHARACTER OF SWORDS
Understanding landscape means understanding the underlying cultural processes and political,
social and economic influences, this can be generated through a time depth analysis of the
landscape character at different time periods. The most important characteristic of landscape is its
time-depth, as earlier landscapes exist in the present landscape and the rate of change can be
analysed over time.
Part III of the report, discusses each broad type of current landuse, firstly according to the
individual time slices listed below, as this offers a more detailed understanding of how human
action has shaped the present day environment at specific times in the past, proving an insight
into landscape history. For example, through comparison with the Ordnance Survey map of 1837-
43 with modern mapping, it was demonstrated that since the mid 19th century the main cause of
substantial change in the landscape is the loss of enclosed land and the dramatic impact of
increased settlement and urban growth. Secondly, this section of the report examines each HLC
broad type, the archaeological features and the processes that have formed and influenced each
type on a summary basis providing future management guidelines and strategies to maintain,
enhance and safeguard each type.
Time Slices
Time slices are data generated from period based maps demonstrating the influence and survival
of the 19th and 20th centuries on earlier landscapes. These maps complement statutory
designations such as the RMP and RPS which tend to focus on tightly defined areas and have a
rather selective coverage of the 18th-20th century.
The use of GIS allows a wide variety of HLC analyse including time slices at various points in
history. For this project, four time slices have been represented. The number of time slices is
limited by the amount of accurate historic mapping available for the study area. Mapping is central
to defining the modern and relict character landscapes and the presentation and manipulation of
results. These results are analysed and interpreted using professional judgement.
Time period Sources Current Landuse Ordnance Survey 2000 and orthophotography 2005 Mid 20th century Ordnance Survey 6 inch (1:10,560) 1935-38 Mid 19th century Ordnance Survey 1st ed 6 inch 1837-43 Relict RMP, RPS, Topographical file, historic maps, excavations,
literary sources, field work
The current landuse character types, as presented in Part II, were applied to the mid 19th (1837-
43), mid 20th (1935-38) (contained in Appendix 5 Fig. A7-A10) and relict maps (Fig. 7) to analysis
the rate of change of landuse within the study area. The following table charts the percentages of
the total land area within each category since 1837.
10.05.07 33 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Broad Type Mid 19th Century
Mid 20th Century
Current
Coastal 0.2% 0.2% 0.3%
Communication 1.8% 1.8% 3.7%
Enclosure 80.4% 83.9% 47.2%
Industrial 0.7% 1.0% 4.9%
Designed
Landscape
13.1% 5.5% 2.9%
Recreation 0.0% 0.0% 7.7%
Settlement 2.6% 5.4% 32.3%
Water 0.5% 0.5% 0.5%
Woodland 0.0% 0.0% 0.5%
Unclassified 0.7% 1.7% 0.0%
This table is significant for establishing the trends of landuse over the last 170 years. It shows at a
glance how the break up of demesnes between the mid 19th and 20th centuries led to an increase
of enclosed land. It demonstrates that the main acceleration of settlement occurred between the
mid 20th and current day, increasing by 26.9% over a 72 year period. Communications, in this
case the road network, has doubled over the examined time period. Recreational landuse such as
playing fields or designated parks are a recent phenomenon accounting for just over 7% and
obviously derived from the earlier enclosed categories. Other categories such as water, coastal
and woodland while marginal in terms of landtake are important to the character of the area and
the quality of life experienced by the local communities affected by change.
These patterns of HLC types when read in conjunction with the current landuse mapping (Fig. 5
and 6) provide an analysis of their sensitivity, vulnerability and capacity for change, important
factors of spatial planning. When combined with the relict mapping (Fig. 7) and heritage data (Fig.
4) this model can begin to guide the appropriate location, scale and type of new development. It
can limit impact on the historic environment by identifying key heritage constraints such as, in the
case of Swords, the medieval street pattern of Swords Town and Main Street, the identification of
a motte in Knocksedan townland, the only upstanding earthen monument in the greater Swords
area, the innovative design of Brackenstown Demesne and the rural character of the Naul Road
as well as identifying gaps in the archaeological knowledge and assessing the potential of other
areas. This knowledge can lead to the promotion of designs which contribute sensitively and
positively to the local character, or indeed the development of a new and innovative landscape
where historic character is no longer a determining factor.
10.05.07 34 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ This holistic approach to cultural heritage issues and the placing of a value on the historic
environments in which we live and work can influence the quality and design of new communities
with that landscape. The following is an account of each of the broad landuse categories at a
specific time period, ie the mid 19th century, the mid 20th century and present day. Each time
period is represented by a pie chart showing the percentage landtake of each landuse.
Summary of Mid 19th Century Landuse Broad Character Types
Water0.5%
Communication1.8%
Unclassif ied0.7% Coastal
0.2%
Designed landscape
13.1%
Industrial0.7%
Enclosure80.4%
Settlement2.6%
Mid 19th century (1837- 43) (Fig. A2 and A9) Settlement Apart from demesnes, Swords is the only town or large scale settlement shown on the map within
the study area. Linear property plots (medieval burgage plots) align either side of Main Street
forming a nucleated settlement core. The extent of these land divisions is clearly discernable to
the east and south and the boundary to the west is defined by the Ward River. The castle
dominates the northern extent of the settlement and the ecclesiastical remains overlook the town
from the west. The town extends along the Rathbeal Road (R125). Further areas of small historic
settlement are located off the principal roads, in total settlement covers 2.6% of the study area.
10.05.07 35 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Communication The sole use of communication is shown as the road network which emanates from Swords
Town, accounting for 1.8% of land coverage. The Dublin-Belfast road which forms the Main Street
of Swords must have contributed to the growth of the town centre.
Industrial There is only one area of large scale industrial activity located in the south-easterly corner of the
study area in the townland of Forrest Great. This area was used primarily for quarrying activity.
While small scale quarrying was practiced within demesnes, their size and extent is too small to
warrant inclusion in their own right. Only 0.7% of the study area is considered to be industrial in
this predominantly rural landscape.
Recreation There are no lands shown on the 1st edition mapping for recreational purposes.
Designed Landscape This is the second biggest category, and extends over 13.1% of the total lands. Brackenstown,
Rathbeale, Newtown, Balheary, Lissen Hall Little and Swords House are all surrounded by
designed landscapes. The 1st edition mapping illustrates the different elements that contribute to
this type of landscape for example the main house, lodge houses, parkland, ornamental ponds,
woodlands, walled enclosures, orchards, private cemeteries and formal avenues.
Enclosure Enclosure is the overwhelming dominant landuse during the mid 19th century accounting for
80.4% of the total land area. The majority of enclosed fields are small and straight edged apart
from a few pockets of small wavy edge fields in Fosterstown South, Crowscastle, Forrest Fields,
Mooretown and along the Broadmeadow and Ward River. A similar enclosure pattern is shown by
Rocque in 1760.
Coastal Only one area, the Broadmeadow Estuary belongs to the coastal landuse characterisation. The
area is negligible in size, accounting for only 0.2%.
Woodland This category is not represented on the mid 19th century map.
10.05.07 36 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summary of Mid 20th Century Landuse Broad Character Types
Water0.5%
Communication1.8%
Enclosure83.9%
Coastal0.2%
Unclassif ied1.7%
Industrial1.0%
Designed landscape
5.5%
Settlement5.4%
Mid 20th century (1935-38) (Fig. A3 and A7)
Settlement A more dispersed settlement pattern forms on the mid 20th century mapping. Settlement has
increased through out the study area to 5.4% this can be attributed to a relatively stable period in
the history of Fingal leading to the construction of large farmsteads and residences along the
major route ways into and out of Swords, namely Kilronan House, Fosterstown House, Rathingle
House, Great Forrest, Holy Studs House, Newtown House, Lissen Hall, Mill View Cottage,
Sunnyside, Saucerstown House and Somerville. The break up of the demesne landscapes often
owned by absent landlords and the creation of smaller land holdings characterised by the large
farm dwelling during the previous 100 years provides a social commentary on the emergence and
creation of the ‘middle class’.
The main focus of development is still Swords Town, the two historic elements; the castle and
ecclesiastical enclosure are clearly definable. The orientation of Main Street in Swords Town
respects the Medieval burgage plot alignment, with properties extending in a perpendicular
direction from the Main Street creating a strong linear identity.
10.05.07 37 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Communication Communication has remained constant at 1.8% of the landtake within the study area. The Main
Street of Swords Town is shown as part of the main Dublin to Belfast Road. Swords acts as a
confluence point for roads extending in a north, south, east and west direction. This network of
roads must have encouraged trade and commerce, helping the town to grow and expand into the
commercial and administrative centre it is today.
Industrial Two large areas of quarry and gravel pits are present at Forrest Great and at Seatown West just
south of the marsh land associated with Broadmeadow Estuary. The engine house and reservoir
for ‘Portrane Mental Hospital' is located in Newtown townland. Industrial coverage of the
landscape has increased slightly since the mid 19th century to 1.0%.
Recreation There are no designated amenity or recreational grounds within the study area however parkland
surrounding the demesne and estate houses would have served as extensive grounds for the
landholding classes. The Ward River Valley Park is represented as scrub land as the map depicts
the area as rough ground with only the occasional tree.
Designed Landscape After enjoying two centuries of relative economic and political growth and stability since the civil
survey records of 1656, the break up of demesnes and the emergence of a different class
structure is clearly demonstrated on the mapping evidence from 1837 to 1935. The designed
landscape has been significantly reduced, accounting for only 5.5% of the study area, with over
half the lands reverting to agricultural land (enclosure). While demesnes are present at
Rathbeale, Brackenstown, Balheary and Swords each land holding has decreased considerably
in size. Many demesne features are displayed on the mid 20th mapping such as extensive water
ways within Brackenstown while the formal planting along the main avenue and mature woodland
differentiates Rathbeale Hall from the others.
Enclosure Apart from settlement, enclosure is the only category to have increased in size from the 19th
century mapping. This can be attributed to the demise of the designed landscapes. The 20th
century map is overwhelmingly dominated by agricultural fields which account for 83.9% of the
study area. The field systems are broadly similar to the pattern displayed on the previous
mapping however some amalgamation and destruction of field boundaries has occurred. Small
irregular field systems characterise the fertile land in the south east (Crowscastle, Barryparks and
Miltonfields townlands) of the study area. While the boundaries along the rivers reflect the
undulating topography and natural features.
10.05.07 38 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Coastal There is no change to this category.
Woodland There is no change to this category.
Summary of Current Landuse Broad Character Types
Enclosure47.2%
Designed landscape
2.9%
Recreation7.7%
Settlement32.3%
Industrial4.9%
Water0.5%
Woodland0.5%
Communication3.7%
Coastal0.3%
Current Landuse (Ordnance Survey 2000 and orthophotography 2005) (Fig. 2, 5 and 6)
General The dominant character types in the study area are enclosure (47.2%) and settlement (32.3%)
with isolated areas of recreation (7.7%) and industry (4.9%). After the break up of the designed
landscape between the mid 19th and mid 20th centuries only 2.9% of the study area remains
demesne land. Coastal (0.3%), woodland (0.5%) and water (0.5%) landuse character types are
negligible in land cover, however the Ward River Valley which bisects the study area consists of a
wooded river valley parkland, an important amenity and central to the characterisation process of
the area.
10.05.07 39 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Settlement Settlement has increased by 26.6% in the last 75 years to represent 32.3% of the total land cover
of the study area. This illustrates the rapid development of the Swords area from an historic
settlement to a proliferation of modern suburbs and residences. The main spread of residential
development has been to the west, north and south of the Ward River Valley while the N1 has
curtailed housing development to the east. Nucleated settlement in the form of one off housing,
small residential schemes and ribbon development is located on the roads to and from Swords
town such as Forrest, Brackenstown, Rathbeale and Balheary Road. High density housing
scheme are currently under development in Drinan.
Communication The development of the road and motorway network has assisted the growth of industry to the
east and provided access to and from housing estates to the west of Swords Town. Roads now
cover 3.7%, double the land area previously recorded.
Industrial The land between the N1 and M1 has largely developed as industrial and retail parks, for example
the Airside Centre, light industry and mixed use. This accounts for 4.9% of the study area.
Recreation The Ward River Valley Park dominates the centre of the study area and provides an amenity
walkway to the rear of properties of Main Street linking parkland to the north of Swords town with
open fields and woodland to the south. Swords castle is surrounded by parkland reflecting the
townland name of townparks. Amenity areas in the form of golf courses are located on the edge
of the study area in Roganstown and Forrest Little. New housing developments include open
spaces for recreational use. This land use accounts for 7.7% of the total land cover within the
study area.
Designed Landscape Remnants of demesne lands are present off the Naul Road at Rathbeal and Brackenstown but
these have experienced encroachment from residential housing and the break up of lands into
separate land holdings. They now only represent 2.9% of the survey area. The unusual shape of
Brackenstown demesne and townland includes a fish pond that is readily recognisable on the
map.
Enclosure In the last 75 years enclosed agricultural land has decreased by 36.3%. The western section of
the study area is still predominantly agricultural in nature. The majority of field systems are regular
in shape reflecting the intensive farming nature of the land. Irregular field patterns occur on either
10.05.07 40 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ side of the Broadmeadow River reflecting the natural topography. Market gardening is present in
the southwest corner of the study area.
Coastal The Broadmeadow Estuary clips the eastern edge of the study area immediately south of Lissen
Hall House and grounds and only consists of 0.3% of the study area.
10.05.07 41 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Relict Landuse Type The initial stage of the HLC was to identify landscape attributes used to define the landuse
character types (Fig. 5 and 6) and to map them digitally leading to a systematic assessment of the
study area. Historic landscape character types are defined and land parcels are assigned to the
type which best fits it modern landuse character. Distinct patterns of landscape character that
have a broadly common history and a tangible heritage are identified as historic landscape
character types. The relict landscape is produced by assigning the dominant historic time period
(relict landuse) to the newly digitized land parcel (Fig. 7). Polygons of the same categories
sharing common boundaries join together to form zones to simplify and extend the information
(broad character types).
The categories reflect the dominant relict landuse and while specific periods such as the
Mesolithic (7000BC-5000BC), Bronze Age (2500BC-500BC) and the Iron Age (600BC-400AD)
are not represented on the map it does not mean that these time periods are not present within
the study area just that there was not sufficient data to generate an individual category. Also
where a specific date could not be obtained two categories were added Prehistoric (7000BC-
500AD) and Unclassified.
Type Date
Prehistoric 7000BC-500AD
Neolithic 4000BC-2500BC
Early Medieval 500BC-1100AD
Medieval 1100AD-1534AD
Post Medieval 1534AD-1900AD
None Not of archaeological significance - known
through test excavation
Unclassified Of archaeological significance but the date
remains undefined
The relict landuse type maps the archaeological and historical activities that are perhaps
abandoned but have left a significant physical trace (and in some cases no visible trace) on the
landscape, for example earthen monuments, buildings, field systems. It reflects the major time
periods that left the most dominant and significant trace in today's modern landscape. This
analysis is based on existing available information taken from the Record of Monuments and
Places (RMP), Record of Protected Structures (RPS), stray finds from the topographical files,
historic and OS mapping, placename evidence, excavation database and archaeological
geophysical surveys undertaken in the study area (Appendix 3).
10.05.07 42 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The detail and level of the characterisation is partly dependent on the number and type of sources
assessed for the project and the information that can be gained from these sources to further
advance the characterisation of an historic component of a particular area. In cases where the
dominant form was equally divided across different time periods, the rarity value of a monument,
stray find or structure was taken into consideration. By choosing a rarer site the diversity of the
selection for the historic landscape is thereby enhanced.
While the RMP accounts for the majority of information of sites from the Early Medieval period
onwards, such as ringforts, tower houses and churches, it was the stray finds (NMI files) found by
field walking or by accident and recent excavations that gave the study area a prehistoric
presence and significance. It is not surprising that the RPS, focuses on the post medieval period,
protecting structures such as vernacular farm houses, bridges and demesne features. When
defining an area; other information such as place and townland names and historic maps were
taken into consideration. Through excavation the shape of the relict map will be subject to change
as additional features are revealed and become the dominant historical character within a land
parcel. It is important to note that the HLC process is not static but a dynamic process as newly
revealed archaeological features constantly redefine our knowledge of particular landscape.
The relict map has to be interpreted with care as designation is dependent on available
archaeological information and is contingent with the findings of excavations. Categories have
been mapped based on an interpretation of data (professional judgement) and existing
archaeological and historic information of the study area. With the accumulation of further
archaeological information, the relict map will be subject to change, for example, an area shown
as post medieval may still contain significant unrecorded remains from earlier periods. A review of
orthophotogaphy (2005) (Fig.2) for the Swords area, revealed cropmark features in the townlands
of Balheary (Fig.9), Fostertown South and Forrest Little, suggesting an earlier buried
archaeological presence. These areas have been marked as unclassified on the relict map as
further work will be required to assess the nature of the cropmarks. As information becomes
available it can be fed into the database and the accompanying mapping can be updated
accordingly.
The extent of the relict landuse categories depend upon the pre-existing current landuse
character type boundaries and in the case of townlands, the townland boundary. In certain cases,
where it was considered possible that the archaeological/historic features could have influenced
adjacent land parcels (current landuse character types) or townlands they were attributed with the
same time period and land parcels and townlands were amalgamated.
It is important to realise that the boundaries of relict landuse have been influenced by modern
landuse. For example, the extent of the Early Medieval landscape in Crowscastle, Barryspark and
10.05.07 43 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Drinan townlands has been defined by the development of a large scale high density housing
estate named Holywell or the Post Medieval landscape of Mantua, Greenfields and Seatown East
has been heavily influenced by the very recent industrialisation of the area.
The mapping of relict landuse types provides the most detailed and objective representation of
the historic and archaeological character of a given land parcel and townland. It captures both the
historic process explaining the present day framework of landuse and the most significant historic
archaeological components underlying this framework. In this sense it provides a time-depth to
the characterisation of the historic landscapes reflecting the surviving character of the present day
landscape. The following is a summary of the dominant archaeological time periods represented
within the study area.
Summary of Relict Landuse
Medieval13.8%
Neolithic2.3%
Unclassif ied3.1% Early Medieval
12.2%
Post Medieval65.8%
Prehistoric2.8%
Post Medieval Period (1534AD-1900AD) The relict map for the study area is dominated by the Post Medieval period (65.8%), this is due to
a combination of the following:
• Land enclosure taking place in the 18th and 19th centuries
• The presence of relict demesne landscapes which have removed any visible traces of
earlier features, such as Brackenstown
• Removal of visible earthen archaeological features due to intensive agricultural
practices
• High percentage of vernacular and protected structures dating to the post medieval
period
10.05.07 44 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Post Medieval period is dominant on land which does not have recorded or designated
archaeological sites. Presently it characterises the majority of the western study area but this will
be subject to change with further archaeological investigation.
The Abbey of Glassmore (DU011-019) and St. Cronan’s Well (DU011-018) are situated south of
the Rathbeale Road. Even though St Cronan purportedly founded a church on the site before the
mid 7th century, the area has been assigned a post medieval category as The Archaeological
Survey identified it as a post-medieval building and extensive monitoring in the vicinity of the
monument revealed no archaeological deposits or features.
Medieval Period (1100AD-1534AD) The medieval period represents 13.8% of the total study area and is derived from recorded
upstanding masonry remains of castles, churches and graveyards at Swords town and from
excavation information in Miltonfields and Barryparks and at Roganstown. This medieval influence
appears to spread to the along the Ward River, as six medieval burials were excavated from the
southern river bank in 1999 (99E0554) in Windmill Lands.
A number of holy wells are present south of the Malahide Road (R106) and north of the new
Airside link road to the M1 motorway, while the date of these holy wells is uncertain (DU011-045
and DU012-022) the area has been designated medieval in character as both wells are
associated with St Werburgh.
Early Medieval (500BC-1100AD) Earlier ecclesiastical centres at Swords and possibly at Oldtown, enclosures and possible
ringforts in Newtown and Broadmeadow and dating evidence from excavations at Drinan have all
influenced the Early Medieval category which encompasses 12.2% of the land cover.
The ecclesiastical enclosure (DU011-03402) of Swords was assigned an Early Medieval date
while Swords Mains Street and the castle site (DU011-03401) were assigned a Medieval date. At
Mount Gamble, shown as Cobb’s Hill on various Ordnance Survey mapping editions, further Early
Medieval remains, namely burials, were excavated (02E0608).
The new mixed use development at Holy well has been assigned an Early Medieval date after
archaeological monitoring and excavation (03E1362) revealed one isolated pit and two small
prehistoric sites and one large Early Medieval enclosure which has been preserved in situ and will
form part of a green space within the current development.
10.05.07 45 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Prehistoric (700BC-500AD) A general category entitled Prehistoric was applied to sites and finds dating from 7000BC to
500AD encompassing the Neolithic, Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Two possible barrow sites
from Newtown and Nevinstown East and recent excavation works in Roganstown were attributed
to this category and cover 2.8% of the study area.
Neolithic (4000BC-2500BC) The topographical files from the National Museum of Ireland document a stray polished stone axe
to the townland of Fostertown North which formed the basis for the Neolithic (4000BC-2500BC)
category (2.3% of land cover), while this was not the only Neolithic find through out the study
area, it was certainly the only one to dominate a land parcel.
Unclassified The ‘unclassified’ category accounts for 3.1% of the study area and defines areas, where
previously unrecorded cropmarks have been revealed through aerial photography such as, at
Balheary (Fig. 9), Fostertown South and Forrest Little (Fig. 2). These areas require further
assessment to determine their archaeological nature. At Balheary, two circular cropmarks and a
possible field system was identified on a high ridge overlooking the M1 motorway. In Fosterstown
South and Forrest Little, a possible ring barrow was identified in close proximity to a stream and a
further enclosure and field system were documented.
None The ‘none’ category is not reflected within this study area.
Predictive modelling The Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) draws information from a number of different
sources, however it must be noted that the RMP while a valuable resource reflects the pattern of
discovery more than the extent of the archaeological resource and the historic environment. By
attributing a time-depth analysis to each land parcel, HLC offers an understanding of the potential
archaeological and historical features within each HLC type.
By filling in the ‘gaps’ between recorded monuments and features and taking an holistic approach
to landscape, the potential to reveal new or associated sites and features and the emerging
distribution pattern of monument type is better understood. With an interactive GIS system at the
fingertips of planners of various departments in the county council, the historic environment can
be taken account of with regard to spatial planning so that distinctive and special characteristics,
that may have been overlooked by other methods or recording or simply not recognised are noted
early in the planning process. Mapping generated for the HLC project can complement the Fingal
Development Plan 2005-2011 and Landscape Character Areas mapping (Figs. A11 and A12)
already generated by the County Council.
10.05.07 46 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ By having a GIS based dataset, the information contained within it can be applied in many
different ways to answer specific queries. For example the aspect model of slope (Fig. 8) was
generated from the digital elevation model (Fig. A4) which was based on the height information
provided by Fingal County Council and shows the direction of slope. This information is useful as
historically, settlement favours sheltered south facing slopes. This digital data can be used in
conjunction with the recorded monument information (Fig. 4), to ascertain the location and a
description of the site, the height at which it is located and its aspect. Information such as this in
association with other reference layers such as a soil or geological map or geophysical survey
information can be used in order to predict with greater certainty where additional below ground
archaeological sites may be located or potential archaeological sensitive areas. Other
combinations of data sets such as the recorded archaeological and historical sites (Fig. 4) with
the 1st edition OS six inch mapping (1837-43) or the OS six inch 1935-38 edition can also be
used to obtain further information of the derivation and context of sites.
Two viewshed models were created for the study area based on information that was generated
for this project. The first centres around the new revealed cropmarks located on a high ridge in
Balheary townland (Fig. 9). Views from this site extend towards the coast and to Swords town, the
site overlooks, the N1, an important route way and the Broadmeadow River. The position of the
potential site can be considered to be of strategic importance. Other Early Medieval sites are
visible from this potential site.
Geophysical survey at Oldtown and Mooretown revealed an extensive subsurface enclosure with
burials, the view from this site extends north and northeast over the Broadmeadow River (Fig.
10). The majority of sites that are visible from the Oldtown area are Early Medieval in nature.
These models demonstrate how the material gathered for the HLC project can be manipulated to
answer certain archaeological questions such as the indivisibility between monuments types and
the date of monuments that can be viewed from these sites.
An overview of HLC findings The following is an account of each HLC type, the archaeological background and the processes
which have formed it. Sources used for the identification of archaeological and historical
components are acknowledged while key and significant aspects contributing to the character of
the area are also discussed. Measures for maintaining, safeguarding and enhancing each
individual historical character and any aspects of the landscape of special importance and
therefore deserving special protection are considered.
10.05.07 47 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ COASTAL
Aerial view of rough ground and the Broadmeadow Estuary
This HLC type consists of two subcategories, wetland and rough ground and is only present at the
mouth of the Broadmeadow River. The area is protected and subject to flooding. Historically,
Lissen Hall demesne (RPS 342) is located north of the estuary and Lissenhall Bridge (RPS 341)
delineates the coastal area from scrub land and nucleated settlement.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the coastal HLC type
The extent of the coastal environment is extremely limited within this project area, however the
protected Broadmeadow Estuary and associated marshland should be carefully managed to
ensure that no ecological damage occurs to this sensitive ecosystem.
It is essential that all upstream development on the Broad Meadow and Ward rivers (see water
HLC type) should take cognisance of the delicate and protected coastal ecosystem and that any
future development should be sustainable employing flood and pollution management strategies.
10.05.07 48 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ WATER
River Ward, Townparks townland
This category includes the rivers, natural water features and the intertidal zone. It accounts for
0.5% (10.8ha) of the study area, and has remained unchanged on the Ordnance Survey maps
through out the 19th and 20th centuries.
The study area is defined by two major river systems; the Broadmeadow in the north and the
River Ward which flows through Swords Town. Small streams and tributaries are located to the
south of the study area, flowing through the townlands of Fosterstown, Forrest Little and
Nevinstown East and West.
The study area is cut in an east-west direction by the Ward River Valley. The ecclesiastical
settlement of Swords was built on the banks of the Ward River and historically rivers have often
formed the focus for settlement, trade and transport. Swords was strategically placed to avail of
the natural resources such as the river and the view to the coast and to take advantage of
possible trading routes.
The River Valley is now an important amenity area forming a green belt to the south of
Brackenstown Road consisting of dense woodland, open greenfield now used as playing fields
and sheltered riverside walks. This green corridor creates a rich and varied landscape affording
good views from the western end of the study area towards the north, east and out over the coast.
The park contains many features of historical and archaeological interest including Swords
Castle. The former designed gardens of Brackenstown (RPS 363 and DU011-030) located
adjacent to the Ward River, harnessed the power of the river for elaborate features such as
canals, drainage and water features through out the estate.
10.05.07 49 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The River Ward is exceptional in supporting Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Annex II of the EU
Habitats Directive) in addition to resident brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations. These
characteristics highlight the sensitive nature of the Ward catchment area. Salmonid water
constraints apply to any development in this area.
To the north, the low-lying Broadmeadow River, forms the second river channel to cut the study
area in a roughly northwest-southeast direction. The river is tree lined in parts while traversing
agricultural open fields. In a field adjacent to the river and the N1 just north of Balheary Bridge
(DU011-081), a previously unknown archaeological complex consisting of two circular enclosures
(approx 21-25m diameter) and a possible field system was located on a high ridge, by aerial
photography (Fig. 9).
Further possible archaeological sites were detected on land adjacent to a stream in Forrest Little
and Fostertown South townlands in the south of the study area. These features were identified as
cropmarks from aerial photography and present as a small circular feature approximately 18m in
diameter along with two larger enclosing elements with possible associated field systems. The
location of these potential archaeological complexes in both cases near rivers and streams in
strategic positions demonstrates the potential for revealing sites and features in these
environments.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the water HLC type Special consideration needs to be paid to water edged features, be they riverbanks or on the side
of man-made water bodies. These areas are the most sensitive to change, through erosion or
through exposure during periods of drought or flood and potentially contain the greatest density of
historic and archaeological features. For example, improvement works carried out along the Ward
River in Windmill Lands townland by the County Council (1999), revealed skeletal remains
protruding from the river banks. Excavation of these remains revealed six medieval burials (Brady
& Kelleher 2000, 94).
Also watercourses and riparian zones should be left in their open natural state in order to prevent
habitat loss and aid pollution detection. The designation of lands adjacent to salmonid systems
such as the Ward River as areas of open preservation will enhance the biological diversity while
providing open space for recreational use (see recreation HLC type) and should be considered.
Improved management of the river corridors, establishment of good practice guidance and
archaeological monitoring should be maintained when working along waterways. The
considerable potential for buried and hidden archaeological remains within and below alluvial
deposits to be revealed should be communicated to different sections of the county council
10.05.07 50 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ carrying out work in riverine environments. Awareness raising and talks on archaeological
findings and ecological considerations (conservation and heritage issues) with all departments
charged with carrying out work along riverine environments should be considered.
Best management practice should be implemented at all times in relation to any activities that
may impact on riverine and riparian habitats. Any planned discharges to surface streams must not
impact negatively on rivers. The design and construction of any surface water outfall chamber to
either river in the study area should be implemented in an ecologically sound and fisheries
sensitive manner.
It is essential that sufficient treatment capacity is available both within the receiving sewerage
system locally and downstream at the relevant waste water treatment plant in order that the
ecological integrity of the water is protected.
A buffer zone of undisturbed land between proposed developments and the river banks should be
put in place to ensure that the disturbance of riparian habitats are minimised. The retention of
vegetation in as natural a state as possible at all times is preferable for the ecological habitats.
It is recommended that the ‘Requirements for the Protection of Fisheries Habitat during
construction and development Works at River sites’ be consulted when developing adjacent to the
two rivers, the Ward and Broad Meadow and their tributaries in the HLC area.
10.05.07 51 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ COMMUNICATION
View towards Church Road It has been documented since the post medieval period and shown on maps (Rocque, 1760, Fig.
A1) that the town of Swords has been well served by a network of roads. This has contributed to
the growth and stability of the town.
This HLC type mainly comprises of a network of roads and an electricity supply board station at
Outlands. The motorway (M1) which bounds the study area to the east is located further east then
the existing N1 and the land in between these two routes is being used for an industrial purpose.
The increase ((1935) 1.8%- (2005) 3.7%) of the communications HLC has been brought about by
the formalisation and upgrading of the road network. However, sustainable and alternative
transport modes to the road infrastructure are vital for the future and economic success of Swords
Town. The proposed Metro as well as pedestrian and cycleways will contribute to traffic calming
along some of the busy and congested streets of the town. For example a decrease in traffic
volumes within the historic Main Street of Swords would enhance the architectural heritage and
characteristics of the town.
The N1, was originally the main Dublin to Drogheda, an important route way. The route is mapped
on Rocque’s (1760) map, which shows the key location of Swords. Other roads which were
formalised over time as the R125 (Rathbeal Road), R108 (Naul Road) and the R106 (Malahide
Road) as well as a number of local roads are also shown on Rocque’s map.
These access ways were bridged in a number of key locations, Knocksedan (RMP DU011-028,
RPS 367), Balheary (RMP DU011-081, RPS 340), Lissenhall (RPS 341) over the Ward and
Broadmeadow rivers.
10.05.07 52 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the communication HLC type
While the modern communication network such as the N1 and the M1 around Swords do not
contain an historic time depth, the land through which proposed roads or linear transport links
such as the Metro will pass will have to undergo archaeological investigation prior to construction.
To date a number of investigations have taken place in advance or during the construction of road
and motorway schemes. The most extensive of these have been the following:
The M1 which defines the eastern extent of the study area was archaeologically investigated in
advance of construction. Licences were taken out from 1999 to 2001, and a number of sites were
investigated namely:
Belinstown (NGR 319428 248445) (99E0545) - complex
Site 5 Lissenhall Great (NGR 319428248445) (99E0546) - earthwork
Site 6 Lissenhall Great (NGR 319185247817) (99E0547) - earthwork
Lissenhall Little (NGR 319126249686) (00E0953) – possible enclosure
All these sites were found not to be archaeological in nature. Lissenhall Little was further
investigated in 2001 (01E1074) and flint (struck and unstruck) flakes, medieval pottery sherds and
a few sherds of prehistoric pottery were revealed.
During construction for a local access road to a school in the townland of Oldtown a number of
bones were revealed. This area was further investigated by geophysical survey and testing and
found to extend archaeologically over 90ha. A double enclosure measuring 200m and 70m in
diameter as well as 16 burials were revealed. These features were retained in situ and the road
rerouted to avoid the enclosure.
The above findings demonstrate the necessity to archaeologically investigate road schemes in
advance of construction. It is only through test investigation and excavation that the extent, nature
and significance of previously unknown sites is revealed or that other potential sites that have
been identified through aerial photography can be discounted as natural anomalies and not
archaeological in nature.
The historic fabric of the road network as shown on Rocque’s (1760) map and the 1st edition OS
should be noted when upgrading or maintaining routes. Any future road developments such as
the Swords Western Bypass, within the study area should take account of the existing historic
environment and strive to minimise any disruption to the historic character especially along the
Naul Road (R108) which is defined by the designed parkland, large farmsteads and historic
houses.
10.05.07 53 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Due to the scale of the HLC project, other transport forms such as bus corridors, pedestrian or
cycleways were not detailed as part of the communication HLC type. However, there is a general
acceptance that the sustainable development of our towns requires a reduced dependence on
private cars which requires investment in high capacity schemes such as the Metro.
The provision of a high quality Metro infrastructural project to support the existing public transport
system is central to the sustainable development of the general area of Swords. However, it must
be recognised that major transport infrastructure can have significant archaeological implications
which have to be addressed. For the HLC project, aerial photography identified potential
archaeological remains in green field environments at Balheary and in Fostertown South through
which the proposed Metro route will travel (Fig. 2 and Fig.7).
With changes in the existing road network and the closure of minor roads, alternative functions for
these roads could be put forward for consideration for linking new areas of development – such
as shared transport initiatives or cycle routes. Methods of traffic calming should be considered in
new residential developments.
The protected stone bridges through out the HLC Swords study area at Knocksedan, Balheary
and Lissenhall are the only functional structures associated with road building that have an
historic interest or a time depth dimension. Priority should be given for their maintenance.
10.05.07 54 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ENCLOSURE
Large field systems at Oldtown
In Leinster the system of land enclosure tends to be larger then the rest of the country (Aalen,
1997). Field systems are bounded by hedgerow and bank and ditch formations. The majority of
land was held historically in estates or demesnes giving rise to designed parkland with estate
walls and ornamental wooded areas. Elements of these designed landscapes survive today while
the rest of the study area has been divided in to small and medium sized fields with the
occasional large field system present. For the purposes of this project the size of this system of
enclosure or field systems have been classified as the following –
Small – less then 4 hectares
Medium – 4-16 hectares
Large – greater then 16 hectares
Land enclosure/boundaries can take many forms, natural tree/scrub lined boundaries, bank and
ditch, walled, stonelined, rivers or coastal boundaries. The layout and field pattern for this project
have been defined as straight edge large, straight edge medium, straight edge small, and
irregular edge large, irregular edge medium and irregular edge small.
Enclosed land comprises the most extensive HLC type in the study area (47.2%). Its main use is
for agriculture, arable farming and market gardening. Straight edged medium (4-16ha) and
straight edged small enclosures (<4ha) dominate the study area. Irregular edged fields are
present along the Broadmeadow River and in Fosterstown South and Forrest Little along side a
small tributary of the Ward River. These fields tend to be large (>16ha) to medium (4-16ha) in size
and have obviously been amalgamated and opened up over the years. The majority of irregular
edge fields are a result of natural processes such as rivers, these types of enclosures can also be
helpful to define more ancient enclosures as kinks or irregular field patterns may reflect
10.05.07 55 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ boundaries associated with buried (relict) archaeological features. Other small wavy or irregular
field patterns may reflect small land holdings on marginal land.
Market gardening is synonymous with the north Fingal area, historically Fingal has been referred
to the bread basket for Dublin and the wider area and has been intensively farmed for the
production of crops. This forms part of the basis for the straight edge medium enclosures located
in the townlands of Brazil and Forrest Great.
Much of the land within the study area was originally enclosed by improvement minded landlords,
such as, Brackenstown, Rathbeale, Newtown and Balheary. While the land of these demesnes
have different functions today, it still preserves elements of the original estate such as mature
woodland and stone walls and adds an historic dimension which is significant to the character of
the study area.
The HLC procedure did not assess the nature of smaller landscape features such as individual
houses, barns or features such as pylons, ESB poles or street lighting elements, well or water
pumps, that can have a significant impact upon the appearance and condition of a semi-rural
landscape.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the enclosure HLC type
The importance of this extensive HLC type accounting for just under half of the landuse within the
study area (47.2%), and affecting the appearance and use of the landscape should be taken into
consideration when planning for new development and determining planning applications. Land
division types and boundary type such as mature tree line, bank and ditch, hedgerow or stone
wall has never undergone a systematic programme of research or survey within the Fingal area to
identify its (historic) heritage assets from a build heritage and historic landscape viewpoint. A
survey into the methods of enclosure may be helpful to recognise the diversity in boundary type,
their period, rarity in the record, survival and condition, vulnerability and potential within the
modern day landscape.
Intensive agricultural practices have led to field amalgamation and the partial break-up of field and
townland boundaries ensuring that the majority of fields are either 4-16 hectares (medium) or
greater then 16 hectares (large) (Fig. 6). It is important to enhance the public and landowners
perception of the role, function and importance of natural and historic boundaries and how they
reflect on the historic character of the landscape. The role of humans in the creation and
management of enclosed land is not well appreciated and often overlooked, opportunities for
increased and improved interpretation should be sought.
10.05.07 56 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Where possible the maintenance of small irregular fields and hedgerows should be encouraged
as historically they represent the oldest type of land division and attract a great diversity of wild
life and songbirds. The fields tend to be smaller in Lissenhall Little, Balheary and Balheary
Demesne and Newtown to the northeast of the study area and Nevinstown East and
Marshallstown in the southeast. This may be a reflection on clusters of nucleated settlement,
probably farmhouses associated with small local land holdings in both areas. This is in direct
contrast to the large open fields at Brackenstown, Fosterstown South and Oldtown.
A substantial loss of original scrub and bank and ditch boundaries has been seen within the HLC
area due to development – commercial and residential. Only a few open space areas within
residential development have incorporated and retained townland or field boundaries such as the
green areas between Glen Ellen and Sandford Wood or between St Cronan’s Estate and
Elmwood or Abbeyvale and Berwick. Other developments such as Roganstown and Ridgewood
have incorporated townland boundaries to the rear of the property plots. Forrest Little golf course
also retains the vast majority of its townland boundary. The incorporation of townland or
essentially intact field boundaries that form a focus in the landscape, for example along the
Broadmeadow River, should be considered for incorporation where possible (see water and
recreational HLC types).
Work, dependent on the landowner’s permission and understanding of the importance of the
historic boundaries could take place on the retention and where appropriate the restoration of
distinctive boundaries such as those that delineate the Brackenstown Estate or Rathbeale
townland from Mooretown or the stone wall which encloses Balheary Demense townland. The
authorities should encourage management regimes that promote the maintenance of existing field
boundaries and encourage replacement planting, the clearance of ditches and the maintenance of
hedgerows where necessary.
Large amount of enclosed land now currently used for agricultural practices may also preserve
relict archaeological features not yet revealed due to their eroded nature. Even with hundreds of
years of agricultural activity there is a significant potential to reveal archaeological sites and
deposits, further altering the HLC relict map and adding to the cultural heritage knowledge of the
area. When assessing the cultural heritage nature of an area prior to development the historic
nature and shape of field boundaries should be identified as they may act as an indication for
further buried archaeological features. Cropmarks have been identified in large and irregular
edged fields in Forrest Little and Fosterstown, the cropsmarks appear to predate field boundaries
shown on Rocque’s map of 1760. A small circular feature (approx 18m in diameter) is present
beside a stream while two further larger enclosures with adjacent field systems are located
through out the fields. Relict features associated with Brackenstown Demesne can also be traced
on the orthophotography (2005).
10.05.07 57 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Further work is required on the nature of historic boundaries and how they survive in the modern
landscape. Many of the large houses associated with large land holding in the past have been
removed from the landscape or exist as ruins, for example Brazil House (RMP DU011-086) or
Forrest House (RMP DU011-044, RPS 631). The interactions between historic farm buildings
and associated land needs to be developed, examples could be taken from the Balheary or
Saucerstown House. This information can be used to guide future management practice and put
in place appropriate conservation proposals.
Encourage the maintenance of boundaries such as walls, hedges, ditches and associated
structures such as gate posts, gate and stone stiles that are part of demesne landscapes or
estate houses. This will be essential for maintaining the character of the Naul Road (R108) and
distinguishing it from elsewhere in Fingal.
10.05.07 58 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ INDUSTRIAL
Recent development – retail parks
There are two sub categories within the industrial HLC, light industry and sand and gravel pits,
this HLC type accounts for 4.9% of the study area. Business and industrial parks such as Airside
Business Park are located in between the exit and access points of the motor way and the N1.
Historically, sand and gravel pits are shown on the 1st (1837) and 1935 6 inch edition Ordnance
Survey map, there are two main extraction areas, Forrest Great while the emphasise seems to
have shifted to Seatown West by the 20th century. Three windmills have been recorded within the
study area, two are known from cartographic references while the third was revealed during
excavations at Mount Gamble. Windmills were a source of power that was used with regularity
throughout the Fingal region, many are mentioned in the civil survey of the seventeenth century.
The presence of a windmill improved the value of land considerably.
There are a number of protected structures, such of forges, mills and sluices which are part of
other HLC data sets but are important individual structures in their own right.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the industrial HLC type
The rapid growth of large scale industrial parks have no historic dimension to the land they now
cover. However, it must be recognised then even this most recent modification of the landscape is
an historical process in its own right. An earlier relict landuse is only attributed if archaeological
features have been revealed through excavation or by archaeological monitoring prior to or during
the construction of the site. Large scale developments, given the low visibility of earthen
monuments in the Fingal region should be archaeological investigated prior to development.
While the historic elements are largely protected by inclusion in the Record of Monuments and
Places or the Record Protected Structures, further work should be done in developing an
10.05.07 59 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ appreciation for the vernacular structures and industrial heritage and the modern context they
now appear within.
10.05.07 60 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ RECREATION
The Ward River Valley Linear Park
The recreational HLC type includes golf courses, playing fields, parks and other amenity land and
covers 7.7% of the study area. There are two golf courses located within the study area - Forrest
Little and the newly developed Roganstown and one pitch and put course in Balheary townland.
Golf courses may potentially retain boundaries and landscape features associated either with
earlier agrarian regimes, such as ridge and furrow. The creation, development and maintenance
of golf courses can disturb and remove historical features and drainage can further degrade
subsurface features. It is for this reason that the development of the complex at Roganstown was
archaeological investigated, revealing limited archaeological features which were preserved by
record. Playing fields are located on the edge of two previous demesne landscapes,
Brackenstown and Balheary and along two important rivers – the Broad Meadow and the Ward.
The Ward River Valley Linear Park is located at the centre of the study area and is an important
focal point for recreational activity for locals.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the recreation HLC type
Recreational land may contain historic structures such as Swords Castle (DU0011-034012 and
RPS 352) – work should be done to raise the public awareness of the significance and important
of these features within the landscape.
As the requirement for land for high density residential settlement increases, recreational open
spaces and parkland will become more important and form a focus in the community. Public
awareness should be raised in relation to upkeep of public lands. These open spaces should also
be made attractive, litter free and safe for the community and recreational purposes.
10.05.07 61 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Given the relatively low disturbance experienced by recreational land, there is considerable
potential to reveal below ground archaeological remains. Development proposals should be
accompanied an impact statement. The effect of the new development upon the historical
character should also be taken into consideration as well as the merits of the intrinsic character of
the area as an historic area of open space.
Riverscapes such as the Ward and Broad Meadow present opportunities for the development of
areas of open space, amenity and educational resources such as nature trails. Riverside walks
picnic areas and cycleways can be created to provide an amenity for the growing local community
and to protect the essential character and setting of river corridors. River corridors are defined as
those areas of land linked physically and visually to a river and may require special policies to
minimise the potential for conflict between development and conservation and to manage and
enhance their linear character.
Control of the location, scale and nature of new development including the material change of use
of land will ensure that there are no undue effects on the character and amenities of the river
corridors and recreational open space.
Access to recreation lands should be maintained and free from development.
10.05.07 62 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ DESIGNED LANDSCAPES
Lodge house at Rathbeal
There are two categories within this HLC type, parkland/demesne and wooded parkland. The
demise of the demesne can be charted on the Ordnance Survey maps, where in the mid 19th
century they accounted for 13.1% of the land, this was reduced to 5.5% by the mid 20th century
and 2.9% on present day mapping (OS 2000). The famine of 1845-1849, a fall in rents and in the
profitability of agriculture resulted in an initial decline in the number of new landscape demesnes
being created. This accompanied with the development and expansion of towns and preference
for an urban lifestyle and the redistribution of land arising from the Encumbered Estates Act of
1849 and the Land Acts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries resulted in a dramatic change of
landuse and the decline of designed landscapes. Originally the land was broken up in to separate
ownership and used for agricultural purposes, nowadays this land is used for the development of
industrial and residential housing schemes.
Historically, the study area was home to several large scale demesnes, Brackenstown (RPS No.
364), Rathbeal Hall (RPS No. 338), Newtown (RPS No. 339), Swords House and Lissen Hall
(RPS No. 342) and Balheary House. Apart from Brackenstown and Rathbeal, the original spaces
occupied by these demesnes are no longer clearly defined and visible from the orthophotography
and many are separated into individual land holdings and have different modern uses.
The townland boundaries for the former two demesnes remain largely intact. With the boundary of
Brackenstown protruding out to accommodate a large (400m) canal feature (RMP DU011-030).
The demesne also incorporates a burial ground (RMP DU011-032 and RPS 375). Apart from the
immediate parkland surrounding the main houses, much of the associated fields are used for
agricultural purposes.
Lord Molesworth, the owner of Brackenstown Demesne during the 18th century was responsible
for many innovative designs and improvements to his parkland. Rocque’s map of 1760 (Fig. A1)
10.05.07 63 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ displays many of the elements such as avenues, walled kitchen gardens, orchards, wilderness
plantations and water features such as large canals and ponds which required the latest hydraulic
engineering techniques to construct and harnessed the potential of the Ward River. While some
of these features survive extent today many have been removed or buried by agricultural
practices.
In general, these demesne landscapes comprise of many features such as the main house,
associated farms, stables, lodges, ice houses, canals, gates and walls to the semi natural
woodland of planted shelter belts, the diversity of exotic trees and plant species and tree lined
avenues. Earlier archaeological components from phases predating the demesnes establishment
may be present, such as the Motte (DU 011-027) at Brackenstown and the possible fortifications
at Rathbeale (DU 011-079). From aerial photography analysis a new complex of enclosures were
revealed in Balheary townland located on a ridge beside the Broadmeadow River, near the
existing N1 which would have been an important route way in ancient times. While located in a
ploughed field that once belonged to Balheary Demesne perhaps this is the Norse settlement that
is suggested in the townland name.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the designed landscapes HLC type
Both the surviving demesnes of Rathbeal Hall and Brackenstown are in private ownership, an
assessment which would record the history and development of the lands, leading to a
comprehensive understanding of all the component parts and their contribution to the integrity of
the whole demesne is required. This assessment should be carried out with reference to existing
documentation such as Finola O’Kane’s Landscape design in the eighteenth-century Ireland and
the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) website for Historic Gardens and
Designed Landscapes of Ireland. Understanding the demesne landscape will lead to an
assessment of significance of the integrity of the estate, boundary treatment, the designed
landscape, the architectural qualities of the house and main structures and wildlife habitats.
This study should be completed in tandem with a full field survey. This initiative will identify and
assess the preservation of all aspects associated with the historical demesnes.
Former parkland features whether functional (lodges, deerparks), semi-natural woodland shelter
belts, planted avenues, specimen trees and/or ornamental features such as follies and earthworks
particularly where they are well preserved and add group value to the overall setting should be
conserved appropriately and enhanced.
Parkland boundaries and key relict parkland features that provide time depth within the modern
landscape such as former park boundaries, often typified by stone walls (Brackenstown) or a
10.05.07 64 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ substantial bank and ditch lined by mature trees (Rathbeal) should be a priority feature for
conservation and enhancement along the Naul Road (R108).
If at all possible avoid loss of integrity by division into multiple ownership, or through inappropriate
change in use. This has already occurred at Brackenstown with a modern residential settlement
located on what would have been the original avenue to the main house. The authorities should
promote consultation and advice, and a network of support for management companies and
individuals in charge of demesne landscapes.
Encourage management regimes that promote joint working whilst protecting key attributes, such
as woodland through tree preservation orders, structure through listing or views through protected
view scheduling. Replacement planting should be encouraged where necessary.
10.05.07 65 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ SETTLEMENT
Local primary school, Swords
The explosion of development and the demand for housing in Swords has seen dramatic changes
in the immediate hinterland of the town from 0.5% in 1935 to 32.3% in 2005 in settlement
landuse. Modern residential estates surround the town while further out, settlement mostly
comprises of dispersed single farmsteads, estate houses with the occasional nucleated historical
settlement.
The settlement category comprises 8 subcategories ranging from Historic Settlement (HS) such
as Swords Castle (RPS 351, DU011-034001) and ecclesiastical enclosure (DU011-034003),
Saucerstown House (DU011-083) and Nevinstown House and land (DU011-047). All these
features are located on the 19th century (1837-43) OS map and earlier cartographic references
such as Rocque (1760). Nucleated Settlement (NS) is represented as ribbon development on
the 20th century OS map for example at Commons West or Lissen Hall Little. Swords Town as
well as the newly built retail parks form commercial centres (SCOM). Also within Swords, the
municipal building (SM) of Fingal County Council is present as well as two cemeteries (SC) and a
number of schools (SCH), each of which have their own individual settlement category.
With the spread of modern residential settlement (SRM), the expansion in the young population is
evident through the number of new schools in the wider area. While some of these estates were
built in the 1970s many have been developed since the 1990s such as Gartan, Newcourt,
Knocksedan Demesne, Swords Manor, Ormond, Ashton, Thornleigh, Castleview, Applewood
Village, Glen Ellen, Sandford Wood, Bunbury Gate, Boroimhe and Brides Glen. Many of the
names for modern residential settlement incorporate heritage elements or townland names and
reflect on the historic character of the area. Mixed use settlement (MIX) or neighbourhood centres
consisting of local shops and businesses and crèches are associated with the development of
large scale modern residential settlement (SRM).
10.05.07 66 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ There are 37 protected structures or buildings within the study area, the majority of which date to
the post medieval age. The development of Swords Town from an Early Medieval monastic
enclosure and the medieval borough to a key administrative and commercial centre for the
greater Fingal area is largely a result of its strategic position in the landscape. The present day
alignment of properties along Main Street reflects the pattern of relict burgage plots associated
with the royal manor and borough of Swords. The Early Medieval and Medieval roots of the
settlement are particularly well preserved; the remains make it possible to study the form and
evolution of the settlement over an extended period. The layout of the modern town displays
strong resonances of routeways, boundaries and properties of much earlier periods. Through
recent archaeological investigation evidence for Neolithic and Bronze Age activity in the form of
portable archaeological finds has been located in and around Swords Town tracing the settlement
pattern back over 5000 years.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the settlement HLC type
Due to the strategic positioning of Swords, unprecedented development has occurred in the last ten
years. Development on this scale could easily overwhelm the HLC area and requires
management in order to preserve the essential and valued historical character. Change should
take place in the context of the historic environment in order to maintain historic character, to
protect the best of the past and to afford the opportunity for heritage led regeneration.
With the HLC project phasing of residential development can be plotted using information from
Final County Council Planning department and the Ordnance Survey and landuse maps (Fig 5).
This would determine and assess the rate and direction of the growth since the mid 19th century,
detailing expansion since the 1970s.
Settlement can be considered to have three identifiable historical elements
• Historic buildings and structures
• Below ground archaeological deposits
• Historic character of settlements for example street and townscapes, designed
landscapes
Each of the above is well protected through existing legislation, such as protected structures
(RPS) through the 2000 Local Government (Planning and Development) Act and Recorded
(RMP) and National Monuments through the Principal National Monuments Act and amendments
(1930-2004). ACAs (Architectural Conservation Areas, (2000, Act)) are places or areas that
contribute to the appreciation of a protected structure, in terms or setting and character, in the
case of Swords Town, the ACA has a high visual and social amenity value, diverse in
architectural character lending itself to a distinctive texture to the streetscape.
10.05.07 67 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The architectural and archaeological significance of settlement is a unique and special resource.
Structures and places have over time acquired character and special interest through a
combination of factors for example, their continued existence and familiarity in the landscape,
these characteristics are displayed at Balheary Bridge (RPS 340) or a vernacular cottage (RPS
344) on the Rathbeal Road (R125). In a changing world, they have a cultural significance, which
is important to be passed on to our successors and warrant protection.
In an area proposed for development, an architectural heritage survey can take place to ensure that
all features are properly identified and assessed. Where necessary information can be forwarded to
the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) who are currently compiling a list of the
country’s architectural heritage. Structures which are considered to be of a regional importance or
great are recommended for inclusion in the Record of Protected Structures (RPS).
In accordance to objectives of the Fingal Development Plan 2005-2011, development proposals
within the Swords Town should have due regard to the historic dimension of the existing
environment and new development should be aware of local distinctiveness, the layout and scale
of buildings and designed spaces, the quality and character of the built fabric and the historic
patterns that contribute to the overall uniqueness of the streetscape and landscape. For example,
the extension and enhancement of the Ward River Valley Park will contribute to the overall setting
of Swords Town.
Strategic planning and guidance should take account of the preservation and enhancement of key
attributes of local historic distinctiveness for example Swords Castle and the ecclesiastical
enclosure where the round tower is located and the layout of existing property plots along the
Main Street of Swords. The present day alignment of property plots along Main Street should be
enhanced and retained where possible as these reflect the pattern of relict burgage plots
associated with the royal manor and borough of Swords and site accumulation or the unifying of
multiple plots into one unit should be kept to a minimum.
The layout of the modern town displays strong resonances of the routeways, boundaries and
properties of much earlier periods. It must be ensured that new development will contribute
positively to the historical layout, at the present time there is a lack of interplay between the town
and the River Ward.
A delicate balance is required between the historic elements of the town and new development
which should seek to contribute positively to the character of the streetscape; through the use of
new and innovative design proposals and materials. This approach to design is occurring and
needs to be maintained within Swords town, examples would be the new primary school located
on the corner of Church Road, opposite the ecclesiastical enclosure and the award winning
County Council offices.
10.05.07 68 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cemeteries and burial grounds should be appropriately maintained and protected.
Without the appropriate assessment taking place in order to establish the significance of the
demesne landscapes such as Brackenstown and Rathbeal in the greater Swords area, settlement
should be curtailed as it may be deemed inappropriate to build.
Archaeological potential Within urban or semi rural settlement environments there is always the potential to reveal below
ground archaeological remains that have no surface expression. Given that the historic core of
most settlements still corresponds with the modern core, for example at Swords Town, evidence
for Neolithic and Bronze Age activity has been revealed through archaeological excavation. There
is a significant potential to impact on below ground remains in developed settlement areas subject
to redevelopment. Given this potential, archaeological investigation in terms of research,
geophysical survey, topographical survey, test excavation and excavation may take place in
advance of development in order to predict with greater certainty the below grounds
archaeological remains of an area which has no visible trace. Prior to redevelopment taking place
in Swords Town, test excavation takes place under licence to the Department of Environment,
heritage and Local Government, this exercise has identified medieval and post medieval remains.
Upstanding archaeological remains within urban and semi-rural environments should be
enhanced where possible. At Swords Castle an extensive restoration, excavation and public
awareness programme is taking place that will eventually restore the castle as the dominant
structure at the north end of the Main Street. Other upstanding remains may benefit from
increased attention such as Glasmore Abbey which is currently isolated within a green space and
fenced off permitting no access to or from the site. The only upstanding earthen monument, a
moated site (RMP DU011-027, RPS 365) left in the Swords area is currently difficult to access off
a busy road, the extension of the Ward River Valley Park has the capacity to incorporate this
feature and contribute to its overall setting.
Sensitive development of exclusion zones and creation of open spaces where below ground
features have been revealed in advance of construction such as Oldtown and Drinan enable the
protection and conservation of below ground remains while retaining the integrity of the setting of
the site. New archaeological discoveries create a greater understanding of the significance of a
place. The creation of management plans communicates this understanding and significance to
the general public.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ WOODLAND
Deciduous woodland
During the mid 19th and mid 20th century, woodland did not register as a landuse, today there is a
low woodland cover within the study area (0.5%). The lack of woodland was highlighted in the
Civil Survey records (1650) for the area when it described the scarcity of fuel. On Rocque’s
historic map of 1760, part of Forrest Road is shown to be tree lined while the surrounding estates
- Forrest House, Brackentown, Brazil Rathbeale, Lissen Hall and the Park provide the only other
woodland cover. The Ward River Valley Park, while not depicted as woodland on the historic
maps, is now populated with a variety of mature tree species of a relatively recent origin.
Future management guidelines and strategies to maintain, enhance and safeguard the woodland HLC type
Before planting modern forestry, the relevant authorities should advise on the appropriateness of
the location. The locational accuracy of archaeological sites and if any other features are present
should be verified in the field. Also the area should be assessed for structures of architectural
merit that may not be included in the RPS but still should be recorded for prosperity or in some
cases avoided.
Conserve where possible woodland features and relic landscape attributes. Replacement planting
should be considered in demesne landscapes. New planting should take place within the modern
residential settlements. The extension of the Ward River Valley Park should establish
management plans to maintain and sustain the historic character of the woodlands.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Future Uses of HLC
This report is only one product of the HLC project for the Swords area. This narrative is
accompanied by mapping which is supported in a GIS environment ensuring the data can be
updated and used simultaneously by numerous users.
The mapping of specified time slices has illustrated the scale and rate of change of the landscape
and townscape of Swords. The unprecedented urbanisation and landscape fragmentation due to
large scale new housing, extensive retail and business parks and the development of roads has
impacted greatly on the quality of the historic environment. The HLC has provided a time-depth
analysis of the cultural landscape in order to understand and appreciate the unique character,
sensitivity, vulnerability and capacity for change and development throughout the study area.
Within proposed development areas, there is potential for including the historic environment to
create a sense of place, for example by retaining vernacular buildings, hedgerows and townland
boundaries, locating open space around archaeological monuments and using historic lanes as
public rights of way. Imaginative design can make the historic environment part of the future as
well as the past.
It is hoped that the HLC will provide a practical input into future landscape management decisions
at a local level, increasing the understanding and appreciation of the historic landscape across
the community. The HLC is a dynamic and flexible tool that can accept and accommodate new
data in the future while providing a central knowledge base for all historical aspects of the
landscape. For HLC to be successful it has to be a sustained and transparent process,
comprehensive in its application and updated regularly.
The use of HLC is advocated in Archaeology 2020 – repositioning Irish Archaeology in the
Knowledge Society – a realistically achievable perspective (UCD & the Heritage Council, 2006) -
‘in a need to view archaeological sites in their wider landscape setting and to identify the major
historical processes responsible for shaping Ireland’s landscapes’.
This view was also echoed by the Heritage Council in 2000 when they described the major benefit
of landscape characterisation as
‘..that it covers the whole countryside and not just special areas. The special areas benefit from
being placed in this wider context, their role being seen as part and parcel of every day life rather
than isolated away from it. They are part of the landscape character and the special landscapes
will always hold a particular place in our minds eye and our imagination. The characterisation
process allows us to link back and further appreciate the significance and value of all landscapes’
(Heritage Council 2000, 18).
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The main benefits of this project are the following:
The creation of a GIS – The information can be reviewed, monitored, added to and changed
over time forming a sustainable approach to historic landscape management. This approach has
the potential to demonstrate how different layers of archaeological and landscape data can be
combined to underpin a landscape based approach to sustaining the historic character of an area.
Through the use of GIS, the HLC process can take place on a county, regional or national scale.
Landscape Characterisation - It has provided a historical depth to support, complement and
enhance the Fingal Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) (1999) (Fig. A12) which raised the
profile of landscape issues and is used within the decision making process for development
control. HLC provides an overview of the historic dimension of the landscape. This broad
character based approach links with LCAs. Recognition of the historic aspect of the landscape
and the central role it plays in the characterisation process is critical to the creation, maintenance
and development of a national landscape dataset.
The HLC project also provides for an initial implementation of the principles of the European
Landscape Convention (ratified in Ireland in 2002) at a local county level. It has been noted in
Scotland that ‘an important stimulus for Local Authorities to carry out HLC has been the
contribution it can make to the preparation of the county and regional LCAs and the
supplementary detail it can provide to inform their implementation’ (Countryside Agency &
Scottish Natural Heritage, 2002).
Land Use Planning - The project can inform strategic planning and the production of Local Area
Plans (LAP's) and form the basis for the production of Strategic Environmental Assessments
(SEA's) and contribute to supplementary planning guidance. The study can also help inform
spatial planning initiatives and inform the placement of large scale infrastructural projects. The
HLC has facilitated integrated discussion of landscape issues across various departments (such
as conservation, planning, heritage, IT management) of Fingal County Council, increasing
communication and understanding of the historic environment and key features that warrant
maintenance, enhancement or protection. The identification of key heritage constraints at the
early planning stages of a proposed development, such as the western bypass of Swords Town
or the Metro, allows a proactive approach to heritage management.
The planning process supported by Fingal County Development Plan (Fig. A11) has controlled
and mitigated the effect of development on archaeology. However, the focus to date has been on
individual sites and monuments and protected structures, HLC demonstrates the need for broader
historic landscape based policies and also raises the profile of the historic environment. HLC
mapping shows the main divisions and the rate of change of enclosure and settlement as well as
10.05.07 72 Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd
Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ urban areas, designed landscapes, areas of woodland and rivers, it also characterises the main
areas of development into different phases such as prehistoric, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Early
Medieval, Medieval, Post Medieval and unclassified. The mapping provides a coherent historic
environment image and so allows draft policies to be attached to particular areas.
Conservation – HLC mapping generated for this project can be checked along side the RMP and
RPS databases when responding to planning applications and inquiries about the historic
environment. HLC has the capacity to fill in the gaps generated by the point data of the above two
datasets as well as providing a landscape context from which to appreciate site specific
information. It can also help develop programmes that are appropriate and sustainable to the local
environment such as the extension of the Ward Valley Linear Park, the refurbishment and
conservation of Swords Castle, development of parkland and woodland planting. It is also
possible that the project may be used to help form tourism and heritage management initiatives.
Research - The project has helped stimulate research in the study area, revealed new
archaeological sites and has provided an up to date account of all recent archaeological findings
as a result of large scale development. It has also provided a greater appreciation of the variety of
post medieval sites and landscapes which are still evident in the environment today. The study
has also highlighted the need where necessary for further research studies to take place such as
field survey and recording of various elements which make up a designed landscape or a survey
into the methods of enclosure may be helpful to recognise the diversity in boundary type, their
period, rarity in the record, survival and condition, vulnerability and potential within the modern
day landscape. The results of this project should be integrated into other heritage management
records such as the RMP or the RPS where necessary.
Public Outreach - Consultation has taken place with local historical groups and access to the
project on the web will ensure that this HLC project is a tool that the general public can access
and use for educational purposes. The interactive data will provide a greater transparency of
archaeological information to create knowledge and understanding of the historic landscape and
the processes which have helped form it. Ongoing opportunities will be sought by the Heritage
Officer to engage and consult with local communities, creating awareness and understanding of
the Historic landscape.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ References
Aldred, O. and Fairclough, G.J. 2003, Historic Landscape Characterisation, Taking Stock of the Method (The EH National HLC Method Review), English Heritage &Somerset County Council
Clark, J., Darlington, J. and Fairclough, G.J. 2004, Using Historic Landscape Characterisation. English Heritage and Lancashire County Council.
Cooney, G. (2004-5) The Archaeological Landscapes Project: Second Stage Report, Unpublished report for the Heritage Council
Council of Europe 2000, European Landscape Convention, Florence, European Treaty Series - No. 176; www.coe.int/T/E/cultural-co-operation/Environmental/Landscape
Countryside Agency & Scottish Natural Heritage 2003, Topic Paper 5:Understanding Historic Landscape Character, 2002
Department of the Environment and Local Government, 2000, Landscape and Landscape Assessment, Consultation Draft of Guidelines for Planning Authorities
Dyson Bruce, L., Dixon, P., Hingley, R. and Stevenson, J. 1999, Historic Landuse Assessment (HLA), Development and Potential of a Technique for Assessing Historic Landuse Patterns. Report of the pilot project 1996-1998, Historic Scotland and the RCAHMS, Edinburgh
Ede, J. with Darlington, J. 2002, Lancashire Historic Landscape Characterisation Programme. A report on the context, method and results for the Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool areas. Lancashire County Council and English Heritage
Green, D. and Sandy, K., (2006) Buckinghamshire Historic Landscape Characterisation. Buckinghamshire County Council and English Heritage
Harvey, A., and McSherry, B. Carlingford and Derry (Historic Walled Towns) Emerging Cross-Border Historic Landscape and Seascape Characterisation Study. Feedback report from inaugural stakeholder meeting (Fri. 16th June 2006). The Heritage Council
Herring, P., 1998, Cornwall's Historic landscape. Presenting a method of historic landscape character assessment. Cornwall County Council and English Heritage
Fairclough, G.J. and Rippon, S.J. (eds) 2002, Europe's Cultural Landscape: archaeologists and the management of change, EAC Occasional Paper no 2, Europae Archaeologiae Consilium and English Heritage, Brussels and London
Julie Martin Associates with Alison Farmer Associates 2006, Landscape Character Assessment in Ireland: Baseline Audit and Evaluation, The Heritage Council
The Heritage Council, 2000, Pilot Study on Landscape Characterisation in County Clare. Environmental Resources Management and ERA-Maptec Ltd
The Heritage Council 2002, Policy paper on Ireland's Landscape and the National Heritage
Various, Winter 2004-5, Conservation Bulletin, Issue 47, Characterisation
Historical References
Brady, C. & Kellehar, C. (2000) in, Excavations 2000, Excavation Bulletin: Summary of accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, Bray, Wordwell.
Baker, C. (2003) Archaeological Assessment, Oldtown, Swords, Co. Dublin, unpublished report. Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Bolger, T. (2002) Archaeological Monitoring 20 Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin, unpublished report, Margaret Gowen & Co Ltd.
Bradley, J (1998) ‘The Medieval Boroughs of County Dublin’ in Manning, C. (ed.) Dublin and Beyond the Pale: Studies in honour of Patrick Healy, Wordwell Ltd., Bray.
Byrne, F.J. (1973) Irish Kings and High Kings. London.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Byrne, M (2003) Swords-Lissenhall, Trunk Water Mains Project, Archaeological Impact Assessment Report. Unpublished report. Byrne, Mullins & Associates
Byrne, M. (2003) Lissenhall-Jordanstown, Trunk Water Mains Project, Archaeological Impact Assessment Report. Unpublished report. Byrne, Mullins & Associates
Channing, J. (1995), ‘Swords Castle, Swords, Co. Dublin’, in Bennett, I. (ed) Excavations 1994. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
Conway, M. (1997) Archaeological Monitoring of development works on a site at Main St., Swords, Co. Dublin, unpublished report, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Cosgrove, D. (1909) North Dublin, Dublin
Dunne, G. (1998) ‘The Old Vicarage, Swords’, in Bennett, I. (ed) Excavations 1997. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
D'Alton, J. (1838) History of the County Dublin.
Eogan, G. and Hartnett, P.J. (1964) Feltrim Hill, Co Dublin, A Neolithic and Early Christian Site, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Vol. 83, 1-37.
Gowen, M. (1997) ‘7 North St. Swords, Co. Dublin’, in Bennett, I. (ed) Excavations 1996. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
Gwynn, A., and Hadcock, R. N. (1988) Medieval religious houses: Ireland. New ed. Dublin and London.
Halpin, E. (2000a) ‘Bridge Street, Swords’, in Bennett, I. (ed) Excavations 1999. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
Halpin, E. (2000b) ‘The Old Schoolhouse Restaurant, Swords’, in Bennett, I. (ed) Excavations 1998. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
Harbison, P. (1970) Guide to the National Monuments of Ireland. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin.
Healy P., (1975) Second Report on Monuments and Sites of Archaeological interest in County Dublin, An Foras Forbartha Teoranta (unpublished report).
Kehoe, H. (1997) ‘Old Vicarage, Swords, Co. Dublin’, in Bennett, I. (ed) Excavations 1996. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
Joyce, P.W. (1995, reprint) Irish Names of Places Edmund Bourke, Dublin.
Leask, H.G. (1973) Irish Castles. Dundalgan Press, Dundalk.
Leigh, J. (2006) Geophysical survey report, Mooretown, Swords County Dublin, Licence Ref. 05-R-170, Unpublished Report for Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Lewis, S. (1837) The Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Volume I. London.
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NMI files
O’Carroll, F. (2000), ‘Church Lane, Swords’, in Bennett, I. (ed) Excavations 1998. Bray: Wordwell Ltd.
O’ Carroll (2002) ‘Church Road, Swords, Co. Dublin’ in I. Bennett (ed) Excavations 1994, Wordwell, Bray
O’Donovan et al. (1843) Ordnance Survey Name Books, Dublin County, Volume IV.
O’ Donovan, E. (2005) Archaeological Excavations, Mount Gamble, Townparks, Swords, Co. Dublin. Unpublished report. Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Appendix 1 - Database design
The table below outlines the data fields contained with the main table in the HLC database. The database is on Microsoft Access format and follows an ArcView Geodatabase file structure.
NAME DATA TYPE DESCRIPTION
OBJECT ID OBJECT ID Unique internal identifier for polygon features within the database
SHAPE Geometry Spatial data shape definition
TYPE TEXT Current landuse type
TYPE_20C TEXT Landscape characterisation types as shown in the mid 20th century OS 6” mapping (1935-38)
CREATED_BY TEXT Contains the initials of the person who created the polygon
VERIFIED TEXT Identifies that the polygon has been verified by another member of the HLC team.
DESC_ TEXT Text description field used to record information relating to the polygon e.g. St Ita’s Hospital, Seafield House
MAPTXT TEXT Field for recording map text from the 1st edition and later Ordnance Survey mapping that falls within each the HLC polygon
TYPE _RELIC TEXT This field records the dominant relic landscape character of each the HLC polygon e.g. Medieval, post medieval, Prehistoric
TYPE_19C TEXT Landscape characterisation types as shown in the mid 19th century OS 6” mapping (1837-43)
BROAD_TYPE TEXT Current broad character type for each polygon
BROAD_TYPE_20C TEXT Broad character types as shown in the mid 20th century OS 6” mapping (1837-43)
BROAD_TYPE_19C TEXT Broad character types as shown in the mid 19th century OS 6” mapping (1837-43)
SHAPE_Lenght Double (numeric) This field is maintained by the GIS system and records the length of the perimeter of the polygon
SHAPE_Area Double (numeric) This field is maintained by the GIS system and records the area of the HLC of the polygon
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Appendix 2 - List of Attributes Current Landuse Codes
Coastal MARSH – Marsh / wetland
RG – Rough ground Areas of rough ground along the coast and estuary, including coastal dunes near the beach.
Communication ESB – Electricity Supply Board Electricity substations
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RD – Road Tertiary and higher class road as identified on the O.S. Discovery Series Mapping. This information has been supplemented with data observed in orthophotography where current mapping is not up to date.
Designed landscape The designed landscape class includes parkland / demesne and wooded parkland. Landscape demesnes are comprised of many features from built heritage to the semi natural woodland of planted shelter belts. PARK – Parkland / Demesne Demesne lands consist of lands and landscape elements held by an estate and include gardens, buildings and farmland.
WDP – Wooded Parkland Continuous areas of planted demesne parkland. This HLC type is distinct from the ‘PARK – Parkland / Demesne’ HLC type, allowing areas of wooded demesne parkland to be discretely mapped even though they may be part of a land parcel which is no longer a demesne property.
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Historic Landscape Characterisation General Swords Area, Co. Dublin ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Enclosure Straight edge enclosure Straight edge enclosure is used to denote enclosed land with a straight regular edged field pattern. These enclosures represent planned, deliberate enclosure often including planned drainage and reclamation schemes. Different phases of landscape development and land ownership are represented by the planned subdivision of large irregular fields and by the amalgamation of smaller irregular fields into large regular fields for modern farming. During the classification process, fields which contain a wavy irregular boundary on one or more sides where they meet with a natural feature such as a river or a coastline, but otherwise form a straight edged field, are considered to be straight edge fields. ESES - Enclosure, straight edge small Straight edge enclosure with areas measuring less then 4ha.
ESEM – Enclosure, straight edge medium Straight edge enclosure with areas measuring 4 – 16ha
ESEL – Enclosure, straight edge large Straight edge enclosure with areas measuring larger then 16ha.
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Wavy edge enclosure Wavy irregular edge enclosure is used to denote enclosed land with an irregular, wavy edged field pattern. This class is characterised by land division that has evolved over time rather than that which has been pre planned. Wavy edge enclosure typically has curving boundaries and often reflects an earlier more unsystematic approach to land division that has remained relatively unchanged compared to large enclosure that has been developed for modern farming. EWES – Enclosure, wavy edge small Irregular wavy edge enclosure with areas measuring less then 4ha.
EWEM – Enclosure, wavy edge medium Irregular wavy edge enclosure with areas measuring 4 – 16ha
EWEL – Enclosure wavy edge large Irregular wavy edge enclosure with area measuring larger then 16ha
SCRUB - Waste land / scrub This subclass refers to areas of unimproved land or land which has since fallen into disuse and become heavily overgrown.
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Industrial This class describes areas where industrial activity is the dominant landuse character. Subclasses most evident in the present landscape are industrial estates, factories, quarries and landfill sites. IND – Light Industrial This subclass includes industrial estates, factory complexes, sewage works, water treatment facilities and recycling facilities.
QRY – Quarry / sand and gravel pits Land identified as quarry / sand and gravel pits on O.S. mapping.
Recreation CAR - Car park This class describes areas of public parking.
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GC – Golf Course
PF - Playing fields and amenity lands
Settlement This class contains a number of subclasses representing different types of settlement visible within the current landscape. The use of these subclasses gives an instant analysis of the nature of the settlement and the types of structures present. HS – Historic Settlement Settlement associated with a country estate house or large farmstead which is in existence from the mid 19th century as shown on 1st edition OS mapping (1837-43). A number of map sources ranging from Rocque (1760), 1st edition OS to the current OS 1/1000 and 1/2500 series are used to establish this subclass.
MIX – Mixed use residential This subclass refers to areas of settlement consisting of units which are designed for mixed residential and commercial use.
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NS – Nucleated settlement Settlement developed around a point such as a village square or developed along a stretch of road. This type of settlement develops over time and often in a haphazard manner. Houses within nucleated settlement of usually detached and of varied size and shape.
SC – Settlement, Cemetery Cemeteries and graveyards.
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SCH – School
SCOM – Settlement, commercial Areas of commercial settlement including shops, pubs, cafes offices, town centres etc.
SM – Settlement Municipal Municipal buildings such as town halls, court houses and libraries.
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SRM – Settlement, residential, modern Areas of land covered by modern residential housing estates.
Water INTR – Intertidal Zone The intertidal zone is the area of the foreshore and seabed that is exposed to the air at low tide and submerged at high tide. This zone is identified as being the area between the high water mark and the low water mark as shown on the current O.S. 1/2500 and 1/1000 series mapping.
RIV – River
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Woodland WD – Woodland deciduous
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The Record of Monuments and Places - This provides the legal protection for all monuments
listed and mapped under Section 12 of the National Monuments 1994 Amendment Act. The
record consists of a list of monuments and places, locational information and a map showing each
monument and place. In some cases, difficulties arose in dating and mapping a monument due to
either the lack of detailed information in the RMP or that the monument type was so heavily
denuded that it defied categorisation. For example, the majority of enclosures or denuded
earthworks derive from the Early Medieval period and have been identified by aerial photography
they could be earlier, for example Neolithic. In cases like this best judgement was used and other
recorded features were taken into account in the immediate vicinity of these site types and the
results of any excavation work and field work to map the monument/feature on a time depth basis.
The Topographical Files from the National Museum of Ireland - These files identify recorded stray
finds that have been donated or found by the state. In many cases the finds are recorded on a
townland basis and the files do not contain precise location details. Where possible these details
were mapped otherwise the information is shown on the relict landuse type mapping as
unlocated, contributing to the overall archaeological information on a townlands basis but
unsuitable for use within specific HLC polygons. However the relict land use may cover several
present land use land parcels and as such the information gained from the National Museum was
useful. Difficulties were also encountered with location information given as quite often it did not
correspond to the general area, in this instance the townland was taken as the location and the
find was specific as unlocated within that townland.
RPS – Digital information from The Record of Protected Structures was availed of for the study.
Discrepancies occurred in the locational information between the registers for protected
structures, and recorded monuments. In some cases the same structure/monument was placed in
two different locations by the respective databases. Also in some cases the RPS included
denuded earthworks and items of a clearly archaeological nature that are more appropriately
protected by the National Monuments Acts (1930-2004). In relation to all archaeological
monuments, the RMP was taken as the primary indicator for their position on the map. Structures
such as churches, tower houses, castle sites where the features are identified on both sets of
records, their actual location was verified by OS mapping, aerial photography and confirmed in
the field.
Historic cartographic maps such as Rocque (1760) and Taylor (1816) - can provide information as
to the names of certain buildings and places not recorded on later maps, the style and layout of
gardens, demesnes and parklands, the nature and size of boundaries. The stylistic nature of
these maps and the lack of a discrete scale meant that these maps could not be used to provide
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types.
Test excavation, excavations and geophysical survey - Where previous archaeological work had
been undertaken the results of the work was sought either from the Excavations bulletins, the
excavation database (www.excavations.ie), or from individual archaeologists to provide the most
up to date, comprehensive record possible.
Referenced documentary sources - Documentary sources and discussion with local historians
and interest groups led to the emergence of new information in relation to the archaeological
activities in certain areas, for example, a possible Viking battle at Knockaman or a possible cist
burial at Burrow - while these events and discoveries are claimed to have occurred the lack of a
record or physical evidence makes them extremely difficult to portray on a map. Where possible
we have sought to confirm all the sources used to produce the HLC type for the area, where it has
not been possible to confirm, it is mentioned in the narrative text as unsubstantiated/unreferenced
information but still forms part of the rich oral tradition which defines this area.
Place name information - can indicate the presence of a forgotten site or may provide evidence to
the location of a monument or provide additional information to the topography of land use of a
townland or particular place.
Field Inspection - this assessed the present topography and land use. Various decisions taken in
mapping the project were verified in the field. A full set of 1:2500 and 1:1000 (for the urban areas)
maps for the study area using modern OS mapping with the orthophotography background
imagery was checked and analysed in the field.
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Townland names (Fig. 3) can be a valuable indicator of the type of cultural heritage of an area.
They are an invaluable source of information not only on the topography, land ownership, and
land use within the landscape, but also on its history, the archaeological monuments and the
folklore. Where a monument has been forgotten or destroyed, a place name may still refer to it,
and may indicate the possibility that the remains of certain sites may survive below the ground
surface. The townland names in the Swords area of Fingal reflect both the Anglo-Norman/English
heritage of the county as well as the native Irish influence. The majority of names appear in
English forms, with translation and anglicisation suggesting the presence of both English and Irish
speakers into the middle of the nineteenth century. This may also reflect the dominance and
presence of the ruling English gentry in the area and the popularity of the area with later Anglo-
Norman settlers.
Townland Name Derivation Possible Meaning Lissenhall Great/Little Possible derivation from Lios
meaning fort or Lissane meaning little fort
Relating to a spacious house located on the brink of a small creek (Joyce,1898)
Seatown West/ East Anglicised townland name Referring to the proximity of the coast. Shown on Rocque’s map of 1760, in a coastal position, on the southern side of the Broadmeadow Estuary
Mantua Corruption of the French word Manteau
A type of material (mantua silk) and a loose gown, worn by women in the 17-18th centuries
Greenfields/ Hilltown Townland name of later origin
Topographical description
Mountgorry Possibly derived from Godhfhraigh
Hogan (1910) suggests that the name can be interpreted from the personal name of Godfrey.
Drinan Anglicisation of the Irish word Draighnean
This means a place of blackthorns (Joyce, 1898)
Barryparks/ Townparks Anglicised name, alternatively Barr in Irish refers to the top of anything
Possibly relating to parkland owned by the Barry family. Townparks relates to parkland associated with Swords, part of which forms the Ward River linear park today.
Marshallstown/Roganstown/ Saucerstown/Nevinstown East/West/Fosterstown South/North/Mooretown/ Belinstown
Incorporates the English element ton which is the equivalent of the Irish term baile.
May refer to personal names of an English coinage.
Cloghran Derived from the Irish word Cloichrean.
Meaning a stony place (Joyce, 1898)
Glebe part of Land associated with the church
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Brackenstown Anglicisation of the Irish word Breac, meaning speckled (Joyce,1898)
Maybe a topographical reference, referring to the soil.
Brazil The townland is mentioned in the Civil Survey of 1654-56AD.
Possibly deriving form the proprietor of the land, Sir Edward Bolton, Knight of Brazeil.
Rathbeal Taken from the Irish Rath Beala
Rath is an earthen fort while Beale is a family name dating to the 12th century. Also associated with the Viking name Rickanhore, (Peck, Dublin Historical Record 1973)
Broadmeadow part of Relating to the river which crosses the townland
Oldtown An Seanbhaile The oldtown, a large scale early ecclesiastical site has recently been revealed within the townland.
Rathingle Derived from the Irish Rath meaning fort.
Possibly means the Rath of the Angel (Hogan 1910).
Forestfields/ Crowscastle/ Miltonfields/Forrest Little/Great
Incorporation of personal English names.
Cremona Possibly derived from the Irish cré meaning clay and dusty and mona meaning bog.
Referring to the nature and type of land.
Commons East/West A name referring to land held in commonage outside a town for grazing animals.
Swords Glebe/ Demesne Derived from Sord or Sord Columcille
The name originates from a pure spring well dating to pre-Chrisitan times. St Columcille is thought to have blessed the well.
Windmill Lands Reference to the windmill on the lands
Outlands/ Newtown/part of Anglised name May refer to the location of the townlands in reference to Swords town and the expansion of landholdings in relation to the town
Holybanks Anglised name Possible association with an ecclesiastical site or burial ground, a ringditch (011-080) is located in the northern section of the townland towards the river.
Glebe (Ed Swords) English coinage Many interpretations of the word Glebe ranging from soil, earth, parcel of land. Most commonly associated with land belonging to the clergy.
Castlefarm (Ed Swords) English place name Farmland possibly associated with Swords Castle
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Balheary/ Demesne Derived from the Irish Baile Ui Iorua an alternative Irish explanation is Baile Ui hAodhaire
Iorua mat be a variation of the word 'Norwegian or Norse' so may refer to a Norse settlement. According to Hogan (1910) it could relate to a personal name O'Heary's town.
Skidoo Anglisised version of An Sceach Dubh
Simply translates as the Blackthorn bush (Hogan 1910).
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